


After Hours

by thilia



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Co-workers, Drama, Falling In Love, M/M, Romance, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-09
Updated: 2012-12-30
Packaged: 2017-11-11 19:25:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 39
Words: 99,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/482044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thilia/pseuds/thilia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam is bored with his job at the law firm. Nothing exciting ever happens. That changes drastically when he agrees to mentor the boss’s sixteen year old son, who turns heads wherever he goes. Especially Liam’s colleague Louis seems unable to resist the boy’s charms. Liam never thought he’d get to see this much of both of them, or that mentoring would turn into an R-rated event or that it would suddenly make his own love life a whole lot more interesting…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Started today and it's a WIP, but I always make sure to finish those, so I'll try to write as fast as I can. Considering I'm inspired, it will probably work ;) All my knowledge about law firms comes from Boston Legal, so excuse the lack of legal details. I don't think there will be too much of that anyway. So... yeah! Enjoy :)
> 
> There might be Ziam in later chapters!
> 
>  **Translations in the works:** [Polish](http://xeuforiax.tumblr.com/post/86018248980/after-hours-tlumaczenie-masterpost) | [Russian](https://ficbook.net/readfic/4323460)

  


Liam sighed heavily as he rolled out of bed that morning, completely unmotivated. But how was he supposed to be enthusiastic when he was about to get ready for another long day at the law firm? 

It wasn't that he _hated_ his job. He just disliked it profoundly. Even though he technically had nothing to complain about. The hours were long, but the pay was fantastic. It wasn't his dream job, but so what? Probably about 90% of people didn't get to do what they were really passionate about, and who was he to complain when his job paid the bills and gave him access to certain luxuries that many people couldn't afford?

He loved law; always had. He'd just imagined his job to be a little different than what it was actually like. He'd thought he'd get to save innocent people from prison, spend his day in court defending people – but right now, he was still at a point where he mostly just got to do research and assist the more experienced lawyers with their cases. Which wasn't really as bad as it sounded; he learned a lot, picked up some techniques that could be useful for his future… It just wasn't quite what he'd expected when choosing to study law. 

But sooner or later, he would be allowed to work on bigger cases and things would be better. And they weren't that bad to begin with.

He had a great, spacious flat in one of the nicest areas of London, which most of his friends envied him for. So what if he occasionally had to stay at the office till nine, ten, eleven at night? It wasn't like he had a personal life anyway. Which was kind of his job's fault, when he thought about it. It was hard to meet someone when after work, you were so tired that you could barely muster the strength to wank, let alone go on a date. 

But he'd accepted his fate, mostly, and hoped that someday, somehow, he would be able to spend more time at home or doing something he loved. For now, he just had to suck it up and go to work. 

After a quick shower and a quicker cup of coffee, he glanced at today's schedule, and groaned. Loudly.

Today wasn't just any day. 

Today was the day that the boss's son started interning at the office. And Liam, being one of the most responsible and reliable people there, as well as someone who just could not say 'no', had kindly agreed to show him the ropes. 

Which meant he had to spend the day with some immature, stuck-up teenager, who probably thought he was better than everyone else because he was the boss's son. 

Liam hadn't even left the house yet, and could already tell that this was going to be a _brilliant_ day.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Harry was excited. And nervous. And excited.

It was the first time he had an actual job – and while this was just a summer job, he was determined to take work seriously and prove to his father that he had actual skills; something that his dad seemed to doubt. In fact, he had rolled his eyes when Harry had asked him about the internship, and told him to go have fun with his friends and not worry about anything. Then, he had added with a little smirk, that Harry wouldn't last two days at his law firm. 

That, of course, had made Harry even more determined, and after endless begging, his father had finally been annoyed enough to give in, and Harry had got the job. 

Getting out of the bed in the morning was a little trickier; Harry liked to sleep in, and for a moment, he actually considered calling in sick. But then his iPhone's alarm rang again and he managed to roll out of bed, deciding that he wasn't going to give his father any reason to fire him or the satisfaction of seeing him fail.

Deciding what to wear, was another challenge, but at last, Harry chose a suit that was classy yet casual, and he felt neither over- nor underdressed. 

Now, he was standing in front of the huge intimidating building, an excited smile on his face. He didn't actually have any idea what it really _was_ that his father did – of course he knew that he was a lawyer, but that was about it. He'd never seen him in court or at the office; didn't know if he was a nice boss or one that everyone was scared of. He had a feeling, he was the latter. But Harry wasn't scared; he knew he could do this. He was a fast learner and figured that there had to be _something_ there for him to do; something that he could excel at.

Taking a deep breath, he marched into the building, radiating confidence and knowledge. Or so he hoped. 

His smile faltered a little when he reached the lift and he realized that he actually had no idea where he was supposed to go. At least until he remembered the email he'd been sent the other day. He pulled the folded piece of paper out of his pocket and looked down at it, nodding to himself. Fourth floor, and he had to talk to someone called Liam Payne. 

Good. That was easy enough. 

He pressed the elevator button and entered it, pressing the large 4. 

He looked up when the doors closed, then blinked when a hand appeared between the doors and someone squeezed in before the lift could leave. The doors opened again and Harry glanced down at his watch, sighing. He was going to be late on his first day – something he'd wanted to avoid. Hopefully, that Liam Payne guy wouldn't be too uptight about it. 

He finally arrived on the fourth floor and looked around the reception area, nibbling his lip. He hesitated for a moment and was about to approach the woman behind the counter to ask where he could find the guy he was looking for, when he heard a deep, friendly voice behind him.

"Hi – Mr. Styles?"

Harry blinked, whirled around and came face-to-face with a friendly-looking young man in a white shirt, green tie and black slacks. He smiled. "Yes, I'm Harry."

He held out his hand, which the other man shook.

"I'm Liam Payne, nice to meet you," he said, and Harry wondered if he was imagining things or if the other man was actually a little relieved when he saw him. Hmm. 

"Nice to meet you too," Harry breathed, then followed Mr. Payne along the corridor to a door that led to the guy's office. When they entered the room, he looked around curiously and was a little disappointed that there were no pictures or personal items for him to inspect. 

He sat down on the chair across from the desk and took a deep breath, relaxing. He liked the other man already; he seemed warm – unlike his office – and wasn't at all what Harry had expected. He had a feeling Mr. Payne would cut him some slack if he didn't succeed at everything on the first try. 

"So," the older man said when he'd sat down and leaned back in his chair. "Mr. Styl-"

"Please, call me Harry," Harry said immediately. Being addressed with 'Mr. Styles' always reminded him of his father. He was sixteen years old; being called 'Mister' made him feel about twenty years older. 

Mr. Payne looked hesitant for a moment, but nodded. "All right – Harry. You can call me Liam, if you like, but it would probably be best if you only did that in here, when we're alone. Some might think it's unprofessional."

Harry listened attentively and nodded. "Oh, sure, no problem."

He flashed Liam a smile and the other man seemed a little flustered for a moment, clearing his throat before looking down at a sheet of paper. "So, you'll be interning here for four weeks, right?" After Harry's nod, he continued. "Your job will mostly consist of making photocopies, running errands, making coffee, but you might get a little more responsibility if you're needed and prove you can do it. But basically, you'll get to do whatever we need you for."

He nibbled his lip while Harry watched him. "It's possible that some people here might be reluctant to give you work for fear of crossing your father. It would've probably been better not to tell them who you are, but I think most of them already know." He smiled a little. "Rumours spread fast here."

Harry nodded, soaking up every word Liam said. He was eager to learn and wanted to get along with everyone. "No problem," he said after a moment of silence. "I'll go around and ask if anyone needs help; I have no problem with that."

He smiled, and Liam smiled back. "Good. Well, then let me show you around."

They left the room and Harry was introduced to a few people who all seemed friendly, but Harry could tell that they started talking among themselves the moment he and Liam were gone. He glanced over his shoulder at them and took a breath, hoping it wouldn't be too hard to make them see _him_ and not his father. 

Harry was nothing like his father. He liked to get along with people and hoped that sooner or later, they'd relax around him and wouldn't be worried he'd run to his father and tell him about everything he heard. Because he wouldn't. He wasn't like that. 

Liam introduced him, then showed him the small kitchen, how the coffee machine worked and where the copy machine was. He gave him some brief explanations on how it worked – which Harry was grateful for because he'd never done any of this in his life. He hoped he wouldn't screw up too badly. 

Finally, Liam had to go back to work and gave Harry a stack of documents that needed to be photocopied and taken to various people in the office. 

He tried to look confident rather than intimidated the way he felt, and went to work.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Louis was late. Which had happened quite a lot lately, but it wasn't his fault.

Okay, it was, but no one had to know _that_. And maybe no one would even notice. He just hoped he wouldn't run into Liam Payne on his way in. It wasn't like he was a tattletale or anything – he just gave you that disappointed puppy look that made you feel bad for a week. Louis had been given The Look quite a large number of times lately, and he wanted to avoid it this time, if at all possible. 

And he did; he managed to sneak into his office without anyone noticing, and took a deep breath as he slipped off his jacket and turned on his computer. He ran a hand through his hair and opened the window, then made his way into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. Always social, he made some small talk with his colleagues and was about to go back to his office to get started when he noticed something new. 

Or some _one_ , rather.

He spotted the dark head full of dark curls out of the corner of his eyes, and stopped walking to watch the boy for a long moment. He raised a brow, his interest immediately piqued. The boy was apparently struggling with the copy machine a little and caught his tongue between his lips as he pressed various buttons in order to make it work. Then his eyes widened when the copy machine made a strangled sound, and he jumped back, looking around to make sure no one was watching him. 

Louis grinned, amused, and was about to go over there and help him – even though watching him was giving him great satisfaction – when he felt a presence next to him and looked over to find Liam standing next to him, watching the kid as well. 

"Late again?" Liam asked in a neutral voice, not taking his eyes off the boy, which Louis was grateful for.

"What makes you say _that_?" Louis asked innocently. "I'm here, aren't I?"

Liam turned his head and gave him a _look_ , which only made Louis' smirk wider. Liam rolled his eyes and let it go, then turned his eyes back to the boy. 

"Who _is_ that?" Louis asked after a moment of silence, kind of entranced by the boy who couldn't handle the copy machine. 

"Mr. Styles's son," Liam said, and Louis' brows shot up. 

"No shit? That's Styles's son?"

He looked back at the boy and eyed him appreciatively until he felt his colleague's eyes on him again. "What?"

"Don't even think about messing with him, Louis," Liam said – he knew him too well. 

"I wasn't!" Louis protested – and he really hadn't even considered it. He just wanted to help the cute boy who looked so frustrated right now. "What's his first name?"

"Harry," Liam answered, then bit his lip. "Louis, I mean it. You could get in trouble if you don't treat him right, and considering that you're always late already, I wouldn't risk giving Mr. Styles more reasons to dislike you."

"He doesn't _dislike_ me," Louis sighed, rolling his eyes. "No one dislikes me. And Styles hasn't even noticed I'm sometimes fashionably late. It's not like he's around a lot anyway, always at court with his big cases."

He rolled his eyes and gesticulated wildly, imitating Styles and his pompous nature. When he was done with his little demonstration, he grinned and Liam sighed. "Okay, fine. If you promise to stay away from Harry…"

Louis raised a brow and shrugged; he had no intention of staying away from the boy – but Liam didn't have to know that, right? Right. 

"Right. I have an appointment," Liam said then, glancing at his watch. "Can you keep an eye on Harry?"

Without waiting for a reply, he made his way back to his office. Louis raised a brow. "I thought I was supposed to stay away from him," he called after Liam, amused. 

Liam turned around and rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. Make sure he doesn't screw up, but don't mess with him. I mean it."

He gave him a warning look and disappeared in his office. 

Louis smiled to himself and finished his coffee as he turned back to watch the boy again, just as Harry dropped the stack of documents he'd just taken out of the machine to the floor accidentally, and looked around wildly, probably hoping no one had noticed. A lovely blush graced his cheeks, and Louis found himself making his way over to him without even planning to. 

"Do you need any help?" he asked, unable to keep slight amusement out of his voice. 

Harry had knelt on the floor and was picking up the paper, keeping his head down; then seemed to flinch when he heard Louis, like a child caught in the act. He raised his eyes to him slowly, and Louis blinked when they finally met his. He'd never seen eyes that green before; they were huge and innocent. Combined with the mass of brown curls and pink tint to his cheeks, Harry was by far the most adorable thing Louis had ever seen. 

"I… no, I'm fine. I'm sorry," the boy said, and Louis melted a little. Harry looked uncomfortable and embarrassed. 

Louis knelt down across from him and gave him a reassuring smile, then helped him pick up the documents. "Don't worry about it, mate – it's your first day here, right? It took me about a week to figure out the copy machine, so really, relax. No one's even noticed."

Harry looked at him and took a breath, and it only took a couple of minutes before they'd picked up all the papers. When they stood up, Louis gave the boy another smile, and got one in return this time. Harry's dimples were incredible, and Louis wanted to reach out and brush his thumb over one of them. 

He blinked when he caught himself actually reaching out, and stepped back. "Right. I should get back to work."

He rubbed the back of his neck and turned around, disappearing back into his office and wondering what had just happened. He couldn't possibly _want_ the boss's son, could he? Cause that would be _bad_. First of all, office romances were strictly forbidden – even though Louis didn't take that rule all that seriously and had a tendency to flirt with everyone who was semi-attractive. Secondly, this boy couldn't be older than seventeen, which meant he was still underage. And thirdly… well, he was the boss's son, which was enough reason for Louis to make himself forget about him right now. 

Determined not to think about the boy anymore, Louis opened his email inbox and focused on work. 

But he still didn't _quite_ manage to get those incredible green eyes and rosy cheeks out of his head that morning…


	2. Chapter 2

After the dramatic copy machine debacle and sorting through hundreds of pages to figure out which ones belonged together, Harry decided to take a break. When he'd practically begged his father for this job, he hadn't expected that he would end up completely humiliating himself on his first day. He might have changed his mind if he'd known that beforehand. 

Not that that many people had seen him during his most embarrassing moment yet, except for that ridiculously attractive guy whose name Harry didn't know. He'd wanted to ask him and introduce himself but that had turned out to be a bit of a challenge when he had been too focused on forcing the blush out of his cheeks. Which hadn't worked in the first place, so he might have as well introduced himself. And then suddenly, the guy had left again, and it had been too late to ask anything. 

He had been really good-looking, though. Maybe Harry would see him again. He hoped so.

In the kitchen, Harry drank some water, gulping it down thirstily. He set the glass down and glanced out of the window for a moment before turning back to the five stacks of paper he'd put together; now that they were copied, he needed to distribute them. He nibbled his lip, then took a breath and decided to get it over with. It was almost time for lunch, so after this, he could take a real break. He couldn't believe he was thinking about breaks already when he'd barely even started working. 

But maybe his next task would be a little more exciting. Not that this was boring, except… well, it was. But he was clearly not under-challenged, since he couldn't even do something as simple as making photocopies without screwing everything up, so… maybe he shouldn't wish for something more exciting and challenging until he had this figured out.

He took a breath and looked down at the list of names of people the documents belonged to, deciding to go through them alphabetically. He walked around a bit, looking at the names on the doors, and started with Ms. Abbott. 

Half an hour later, he had one stack of papers left. It had taken longer than he'd expected because he had been involved in a long conversation about modern technologies and its disadvantages by some elderly lawyer who would clearly prefer to still work with his old typewriter. Harry had nodded politely and had finally managed to make an exit. So now he had one more person left, and hoped that he could go on his lunch break afterwards. 

He knocked on the last door, which belonged to a certain Mr. Tomlinson's office. When he went in a moment later and looked up, his eyes widened and his breath hitched.

"You," he breathed before he could stop himself, and felt the now familiar heat creep into his cheeks again. 

The attractive guy he'd met briefly before looked up; he was wearing glasses now and his hair was a little tousled, and Harry tried not to stare too much. Which was hard, considering how _gorgeous_ the man was. He looked rather young; a few years older than Harry, of course, but not as old as anyone else he'd met so far.

When he noticed Harry, he looked amused. "Yes, me. Who were you expecting?"

Harry shook his head and shrugged, licking his lips. "A-are you Mr. Tomlinson?" he asked hesitantly. 

He got a nod in return and the guy in question took off his glasses and put them on his desk. "Yeah, I am, but you can call me Louis. I don't think we're that far apart in age, so no need to get all formal on me."

He gave Harry a smile, and Harry forgot his entire vocabulary. 

"Um," he managed after a moment of silence during which he desperately scrabbled for words and Louis looked at him with a smirk on his lips. "Okay. I'm Harry."

Louis gave him another smile; a much more genuine one now, and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Harry."

Harry swallowed hard and managed to advance a few steps, reaching for the other boy's hand and shaking it. "Nice to meet you too."

He didn't want to let go of Louis' hand, but eventually, he had to, and wiped his sweaty palm on his thigh, hoping he wasn't too obviously drooling over Louis. 

"So, are you settling in all right, Harry? Got enough work? Anyone causing you trouble?"

Harry shook his head. "No, no, I'm fine, really. I just finished making the copies, so…"

"Right," Louis said, smirking again. "You seemed to have a bit of trouble there earlier."

Harry flushed again, deeply, and Louis laughed. "I'm sorry. I'm not making fun of you, I swear. It's not my intention to make you uncomfortable, so… I'm sorry. Forgive me?"

Harry glanced up, and Louis was giving him the most adorable look he'd seen in his life – so how was he supposed to say no to that?

He gave him a little smile and nodded. "Yeah, sure."

"So," Louis continued after a moment. "Any plans for lunch yet?"

Harry shrugged. "Not really. I mean, I was just going to get a sandwich somewhere or, I don't know."

"Well, if you'd like me to take you somewhere, just let me know. I'm always free and I'd love to show you around a bit."

Harry licked his lips and nodded; he _definitely_ wanted Louis to take him somewhere; he just wasn't sure if it was what Louis had in mind. He flushed again, and cleared his throat. "I… should get back to work, I've got some… documents to deliver."

He nodded and then quickly left the room, sucking in a deep breath when he'd closed the door behind himself. He was making an _amazing_ impression already. Rolling his eyes at himself and smacking his forehead, he looked at the stack of documents in his hands, and almost groaned. How stupid _was_ he?

He opened the door again, walked over to Louis and set the documents down on his desk. "These are for you, sorry," he muttered under his breath, then whirled around quickly, hearing Louis's laugh when he left the room. 

How _embarrassing_!

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Louis was intrigued. Harry intrigued him. He knew the other boy was off limits and probably too young for him anyway, but he still couldn't stop thinking about him all afternoon. He'd looked for him when he'd gone out for lunch, but hadn't found him anywhere, which had been a little disappointing. He'd really wanted to get to know the other boy.

Part of it was that watching him squirm and blush was giving Louis huge satisfaction. He couldn't help it; he just liked to torture the boy a little, while at the same time, Harry seemed so vulnerable and insecure that Louis just wanted to protect him. It was weird feeling both things at the same time. 

His worst problem however was, that he literally could not stop thinking about Harry. He tried to focus on work, but it was nearly impossible when he saw those _eyes_ and _lips_ and all that hair all the time. Not literally, but in his head. Which was worse because it was harder to make the mental image disappear. 

He sighed eventually, and just gave up on the report he had to write, deciding another coffee break was in order. He left his office, looking around discreetly for any sign of Harry, but he was nowhere to be seen. Louis tried not to pout. 

Then he entered the kitchen – and there he was. Louis's face lit up instantly, and he smiled. "And so we meet again," he said cheerfully, leaning against the counter and watching Harry jump a little. He wondered if the boy was always like that or if Louis brought it out in him – or if it was just because it was Harry's first day here and he wasn't used to being snuck up on by ridiculously attractive guys like himself. 

He snorted inwardly.

"Hi," Harry said when he finally looked up, then bit his lip. "I'm supposed to make coffee for Li- I mean, Mr. Payne, and I have no idea how this stupid thing works."

He looked frustrated and glared down at the coffee machine, as if that would help matters, and Liam raised a brow in amusement. Harry didn't know how to make coffee?

Harry caught his look and flushed again. "I usually go to Starbucks," he murmured, then made room when Louis moved over to help him. 

"Ahh, I see," Louis said softly, their fingers brushing when he reached out. Harry pulled his hand back as if Louis had burned him or something, and Louis tried not to grin. He really did; it was just hard when pretty much everything Harry did, seemed to be adorable in some way. 

"All right, look. Coffee goes in here, water goes in there. Then you put the cup right here, and press this button here, and voilà, you'll have your coffee." He turned his head a little and watched Harry. "Liam likes it strong and black, so no sugar or milk, and make sure it's not too thin, all right? He doesn't get cranky and would never criticize your coffee, but it's better to do it right."

Harry nodded in agreement, giving him a grateful smile. Louis smiled back. 

Then they both reached for the button at the same time, and their fingers brushed again. Louis kept his eyes on Harry, and Harry seemed frozen, staring back at him with wide eyes. Louis found himself glancing at the other boy's lips for a moment, and was really tempted to just lean in and kiss him. Which would be terribly unprofessional, considering anyone could walk in on them any second, but Harry was hard to resist. 

He licked his lips and leaned in a fragment of a centimetre, when a familiar voice interrupted them. 

"Oh, there you are," Liam said. "I thought you'd got lost."

Louis closed his eyes in frustration when Harry jumped away immediately, and then slowly turned his head to face Liam, giving him a wide smile. "Of course not, don't be silly. I was just telling Harry how to make your coffee right. You should thank me. I know how much you despise milk and sugar, or plain, see-through coffee."

Liam raised a brow at him. "Thank you, Louis," he said, some not quite familiar sarcasm in his voice. 

Then he turned to look at Harry. "Good news. I found out that someone is on maternity leave for the next few weeks, so you'll get your own desk and computer while you're here. I'm not sure how much you'll need it, but there are always reports to type up, so if you're interested in that kind of work…"

"Sure!" Harry said instantly, smiling. "That would be great."

Liam smiled. "All right, then I'll get everything set up for you tomorrow. I'm not sure what you can do for the rest of the day, though; it's kind of a slow week, so…"

He trailed off, and Louis reacted immediately. "If you have no use for him, I could need some help, actually."

Liam eyed him suspiciously, and Louis sighed. Always suspicious, that man. "I'm not going to lock him in a closet and leave him there all night, if that's what you're worried about," Louis said. "I just have a huge paper mess in my desk, so I thought he could help me go through that."

Liam nibbled his lip. "If Harry doesn't mind…"

"I don't," Harry said pretty much immediately, and Louis only barely managed to keep the smirk off his face. Aha! Harry actually _wanted_ to spend time with him. 

Harry flushed when Louis looked at him again, and Louis grinned. "Well, there you have it. If we finish early, you can have him back, but for now, he's mine."

And he meant it _exactly_ the way it sounded. 

"All right, fine," Liam sighed. "Can I have my coffee now?"

Louis handed it to him, giving him a wide smile, then turned to Harry. "All right, so shall we?"

"Yeah," Harry murmured, and followed Louis back to his office. 

"Right," Louis said when they were there, and handed Harry a stack of papers. "Basically, just sort them by name and urgency – or if you have a better way of organizing them, feel free to go with your method. I'm not exactly organized, as you may see, so whatever works for you."

He gave him a smile, then watched Harry sit down on the other chair and start looking at the documents. 

Meanwhile, Louis was staring at _Harry_. As it turned out, asking him to come to his office had definitely not been one of his better ideas, considering now he could forget work entirely and just focus on Harry completely. It was literally impossible not to look at him now that he was here, and more than once, Harry caught him staring at him. 

"How old are you anyway?" Louis asked after a moment, when he'd finally decided that his report could wait until tomorrow. 

Harry glanced up through his curls and bit his lip. "Sixteen."

Ahh. So even younger than he'd expected. Fuck. 

"I'm nineteen," he offered. "Started working here about a year ago. I don't plan on doing this forever, but it's a job, and a pretty good one too, so…"

He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck. "And you'll be here for four weeks?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah."

They were both silent for a moment, then Louis looked up in surprise when Harry finally said something of his own accord without being prompted. "My dad doesn't think I can do it," he admitted. "He said I wouldn't last two days at this job, so now I want to prove him wrong. I think… I think I'm doing all right so far, right? I'm not going to get fired tomorrow?"

He nibbled his lip, and Louis melted. "No, you're not going to get fired tomorrow. You're actually already doing a far better job than most interns we get. Most of them are fucking incompetent."

He watched Harry's eyes widen a little when he used the F-word, and smirked. "Sorry. I'm crude sometimes."

He grinned and shrugged, and Harry shook his head. "That's fine, I didn't… I mean, it's your office, you can do whatever you want."

Louis wondered if Harry would still be fine if Louis took that statement a little more literally than Harry had probably meant it, and wondered what Harry would say if Louis grabbed the other boy and fucked him over his desk. He had a feeling, Harry might protest a little if it came to that. 

He rubbed his chin and sighed inwardly; thinking about fucking Harry was definitely a bad idea. But he couldn't help it; imagining those plump, pink lips wrapped around his cock or that fine body writhing beneath him, was a definite turn-on. 

He rubbed the back of his neck, then made himself look at his computer screen – but kept watching Harry from the corner of his eyes.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Liam had a few hours of work to go, but around five o'clock, he left his office and made his way to Louis's office. Harry would probably be leaving soon, and he just wanted to check with him and make sure he was all right. He knocked and came in, finding Louis and Harry sitting across from each other. 

"Hey Harry, you ready to leave? I just wanted to talk to you for a moment before you go."

Harry looked up and nodded. "Um… yeah, I'm done here, I think."

He looked at Louis. "Is this okay?"

Louis leaned back and nodded. "Looks great, Harry. Thanks for your help."

He gave Harry a smile, and Liam eyed him. It wasn't that he didn't trust Louis – he actually liked him because he brought some life into an otherwise rather quiet office, but there was something about the way Louis sometimes looked at Harry that made Liam a little wary. He wasn't sure what it was; maybe he was just imagining things.

"You're welcome. Bye," Harry said, giving Louis a smile before getting up and following Liam out of the office. 

When the door was closed, Liam rubbed his neck. "So, how was your first day? Was working with Louis okay?"

Harry smiled, nodding. "It was great. I like it here."

Liam couldn't help returning the smile. "Good. I'm glad. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then? Come see me when you get here and I'll show you your desk and computer."

Harry nodded. "I will… thanks, Liam."

He waved goodbye as he left, and Liam looked after him for a moment before going back to his office. It was going to be another long night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, second chapter in a day... I'm on a roll! :)

The next day, Harry got his own office and desk, and some hand-written reports and letters that needed to be typed, printed out, signed and, in some cases, sent. He was glad; he was a pretty good typist – he couldn't do it with ten fingers, but almost. All those late nights IM-ing and posting useless nonsense on Tumblr were finally paying out. Who would've thought that would actually benefit him at some point? Harry hadn't. 

But now he was in a comfortable chair, warm office, and had the most amazing view. He was also alone, so no one would care if he did some non work-related stuff online sometimes. He didn't spend hours on Twitter or anything, but whenever he was done typing a letter, he allowed himself a five-minute break. Or ten minutes. Fifteen at the most. 

The morning passed quickly and Harry wasn't bored for one second. 

He went for a walk at lunch, and when he was back at his desk in the afternoon, he frowned when he noticed a little speech bubble icon in the right corner of his screen. He eyed it for a moment, wondering if he'd accidentally touched something he shouldn't have; then clicked on it and raised his brows when some sort of instant messsenger window opened. 

Huh. He hadn't known people were allowed to IM at work. That was pretty cool. 

Then he actually focused on the message, and his heart skipped a beat when he realized who'd sent it to him. 

**Louis Tomlinson:** You busy? ;)

Harry stared at the winking emoticon for a long moment, then frowned and hesitated for a moment before replying. 

**Harry Styles:** Not at the moment; do you need help with anything?

He didn't get a reply right away, so he shrugged and started working on one of the many reports he still needed to type. But just as he was about to start, the little speech bubble popped up again, and Harry's heart started racing. Why exactly he was nervous about this, he didn't know. He just was. 

**Louis Tomlinson:** Not really… Just thought I'd distract you a little in case you're bored ;)

Harry found himself staring again. Why did Louis keep winking at him? Winking was something you did when you were flirting, right? But Louis couldn't be flirting with him… could he?

Harry licked his lips and thought about his reply for a long moment. 

**Harry Styles:** I'm not bored, but I don't mind being distracted. Are we supposed to use this, though? :S

This time, the reply was quick.

 **Louis Tomlinson:** Why would we have it if we weren't supposed to use it? ;) Don't worry about it; people don't work *all* the time here. You can take a little break and talk to me for a bit. If you want…

Harry swallowed hard. 

**Harry Styles:** I do want to…

He had no idea what he was doing. He was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to flirt with a co-worker, even though the other man was obviously initiating it. Or was he? Maybe it was a misunderstanding and Louis just liked to over-use smileys. 

**Louis Tomlinson:** Good to know. 

There was a long pause, and Harry nibbled his lip, wondering if he was supposed to send a reply to that or if Louis was going to send another one. He didn't want this conversation to end, but he wasn't sure what to write back either. He rubbed the back of his neck and bit his lip harder. He was about to send a smiley in response when he got another message. 

**Louis Tomlinson:** Your arse looks amazing in those pants ;)

Harry's eyes widened comically and he sucked in a sharp breath, rereading the message three times before coming to the conclusion that Louis had actually just sent that message. He tried to find out if there was any other way to interpret that statement, but no – Louis had actually just complimented his arse and was _definitely_ flirting with him. 

Harry took a breath and licked his lips, then smiled slowly when some of his confidence from the first day came back. 

"Two can play this game, Mr. Tomlinson," he murmured as he typed his reply.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Louis was nervous. He was really nervous. He'd just sent Harry a message that he couldn't possibly misunderstand, but Harry was taking his time to reply to it, and part of Louis couldn't _believe_ he'd actually risked sending that IM. Had he lost his fucking _mind_?

He rubbed his face and bit his lip, and considered going to Harry's office to apologize for his behaviour, when he got a very alarming message in return. Alarming and confusing. 

**Harry Styles:** That could be considered sexual harassment, do you know that? ;)

Okay, so the message made him think that Harry was definitely offended by his compliment – but the smiley didn't really fit. Louis frowned, and chose a neutral reply. 

**Louis Tomlinson:** Do you feel harassed?

He nibbled his lip; then his eyebrows shot up when the next message arrived. 

**Harry Styles:** Not particularly… :)

Louis stared for a long moment, a slow smile appearing on his lips. Okay. So that was pretty clear. Harry seemed to like being flirted at, and he was definitely not opposed to some more of it. Louis grinned, suddenly feeling extraordinarily giddy. 

**Louis Tomlinson:** Good… I'm not sure I could stop, even if you wanted me to :) I'm serious, though – those suits you're wearing work for you.

 **Harry Styles:** Thank you… I'm glad you think so. And I don't want you to stop.

 **Louis Tomlinson:** Then I won't. I find you pretty adorable ;)

 **Harry Styles:** Adorable?  >:(

Louis laughed out loud. He could practically _see_ Harry's frown and pout. So he didn't like being called adorable. He'd have to keep that in mind. 

**Louis Tomlinson:** And handsome… and very, very charming. 

**Harry Styles:** Thank you :)

Louis smiled and scratched the back of his head, wondering what to write next and how far to take this. He had to be careful not to push Harry too much – and maybe this was the right time to think about his own intentions. But he had time – this was just an innocent IM conversation. Right? 

**Louis Tomlinson:** I assume you consider me decent-looking as well?

 **Harry Styles:** Yeah, I do… :)

 **Louis Tomlinson:** :) Then I didn't misinterpret the looks you gave me yesterday.

 **Harry Styles:** My looks? I thought I was being subtle…

 **Louis Tomlinson:** Not so much ;)

He leaned back and grinned; he was really, really enjoying this and couldn't wipe the silly, goofy smile off his face. It had been a long time since he'd been this excited over something – and it was only a bloody IM-conversation. What the hell was wrong with him?

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Harry's heart was still beating fast and part of him still couldn't believe this. Louis was actually making advances on him. He thought Harry was cute, and handsome and charming… and he was definitely coming on to him. Wow. Harry felt flattered and really, really nervous because he had a feeling this wasn't what they were supposed to do at all. 

He licked his lips and was about to reply when there was a knock on his door and Liam came in. Harry felt his cheeks heat up and quickly closed the window, hoping he didn't look too guilty. But Liam didn't seem to notice anything. 

"Hey, can you come help me for a moment?" he asked, looking almost apologetic for disturbing him. 

Harry nodded. "Oh, sure. Give me a second."

He hesitated, but then opened the window again, and sent Louis a quick reply. 

**Harry Styles:** Gotta go, Liam needs me. Back later.

He closed the window, logged off, then stood up and followed Liam out of the room. They made their way through the office, and just when they were about to pass Louis's door, it opened and Louis came out. 

"Liam! Just the man I was looking for." 

He smiled that charming smile of his, then glanced at Harry, giving him an almost unnoticeable smirk. "All right there, Harry?"

Harry's cheeks coloured, but he managed to return the smile. "Yeah…"

Louis winked, then turned back to Liam. "I was wondering if we could go over the Robertson case; I don't have all the details I need, so I thought I'd ask you, since you probably know more about it than anyone else. So if you could come in whenever you have some time, that would be great."

Liam nodded. "Sure; I was just about to give Harry something to do, but as soon as I'm done, I'll be sure to come and find you."

He smiled, and Louis smiled back. "Excellent," he said. "See you in a moment then."

Liam nodded and walked off, and Harry followed him quickly. Before they rounded a corner, however, he glanced over his shoulder and found Louis still standing there with his head tilted, very obviously checking him out. Harry flushed, but as soon as he was out of sight, he beamed and resisted the urge to perform a little happy dance. He had a feeling he would have to explain that to Liam, however, so he didn't. But he was dancing on the inside because…

Yeah, Louis totally wanted him.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

After giving Harry more photocopies to make as well as some books to sort, Liam made his way back to Louis and went over the case with him. He actually liked working with Louis; while the younger man obviously hadn't studied law and was mostly here to assist the actual attorneys with their work, he was very smart and often did things without having to be asked. 

Sometimes he was a little too talkative and preferred spending his time in the kitchen, gossiping with co-workers, and also tended to arrive late in the mornings, but he always got his work done, and usually more thoroughly than certain others they worked with. Liam had never had a problem with him.

When they were done talking about the case, Louis looked up. "Harry's not at all like his father, is he?"

Liam blinked at the sudden change of subject and shook his head. "No… Harry seems like a sweet boy. He doesn't shy away from work, though, so I guess when it comes to that, he and his father are quite alike."

Louis nodded. "Yeah, but personality-wise, they're completely different people. I've never much cared for Styles, but Harry's great."

He looked thoughtful for a moment and Liam looked at him suspiciously. "Why do you keep talking about Harry?"

Louis blinked. "I don't _keep_ talking about him. I just think he's great, and it's nice to have someone a little younger here, you know?"

Liam folded his arms over his chest. "Hey, I'm young!"

Louis sighed. "Of course you are – I didn't say you were _old_. But you're still a few years older than me, and there's only three years of age difference between me and Harry, so… we're closer, you see?"

Liam nodded. "I suppose…"

Louis smiled then, and waved his hand. "Right. You may go now."

Liam snorted. "How gracious of you."

"I know, right?" Louis laughed, and Liam snorted and rolled his eyes as he left the other man to go back to his work while he did the same.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Harry was busy for the rest of the day, and didn't get to message Louis again, which he was a little sad about. He'd hoped he'd get to flirt some more, but it was almost time to go home by the time he'd finally reorganized the books Liam had shown him, which just gave him the time to go back to his office and shut down his computer. There were no new messages from Louis anyway, so maybe he was busy – or had decided that he didn't want Harry after all. 

He tried not to think about that too much. 

He said goodbye to some people on his way to the lift and walked past Louis's door slowly, hoping he would come out, but he didn't. So Harry got into the elevator with a few other co-workers and watched the doors close. Just before they did, however, someone else squeezed in, and when Harry focused his eyes on the person in question, his heart started racing. 

Louis. 

He almost forgot to breathe when Louis stood next to him, so close that their arms were touching. He glanced over at him and gave him a tiny, shaky smile, then looked away before he blushed again. He hated blushing and he'd done an awful lot of that lately. 

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his lower back, and his heart nearly exploded. His eyes fluttered a little, and he found himself leaning into the touch unconsciously, trying not to imagine what those hands would feel like on other parts of his body. He didn't know if he could handle that when Louis's hand on his _back_ drove him a little crazy already. 

The lift arrived on the ground floor much too soon, and their fingers brushed when they both tried to exit it at the same time. They made their way outside the building, both of them stopping and watching the other people leave. Harry swallowed hard and glanced over at Louis shyly. 

"So, any plans?" Louis asked after a moment of silence, giving him a small smile.

Harry licked his lips and nodded. "Yeah, I'm meeting up with some friends."

Louis watched him. "Well, then… have fun, and see you tomorrow."

He gave him a smile, which Harry returned; and for a moment, Harry thought he saw Louis hesitate; almost as if he was considering touching him again. But before anything could happen, Louis took a step back and waved. "Goodbye, Harry."

Harry watched him leave, and took a shaky breath. "Bye, Louis."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"You're having an affair with your _boss_?"

Niall's voice was loud and booming, and Harry buried his face in his hands. "Niall, _please._ "

Niall shrugged, not acknowledging that he'd done anything wrong, and took a sip off his pint as he kept staring at Harry. 

Harry sighed. "First of all, my boss is my _dad_ , so no, I'm not sleeping with my boss. Ew."

He shuddered and trailed a finger around the rim of his glass, licking his lips. "And I'm not having an affair either, just… an innocent flirtation, I guess?"

"Mate, if he complimented your arse, it's not innocent," Niall said matter-of-factly, giving him a smirk. "I can't believe you're finally getting laid!"

Harry groaned. "Niall, your voice!"

He looked around anxiously, hoping no one had heard them. He let out a relieved breath when he realized that no one _was_ listening, but still thought that next time he was telling Niall about his adventures at work, they would be doing it at home, in his room. 

They were at their favourite pub; the one where Niall knew the owner who gave them beer despite the fact that they were technically not allowed to have any yet. Harry wasn't a big drinker and usually stuck to Coke, but Niall liked a beer or two in the evening, and Harry couldn't blame him. 

"I'm not getting laid," he said after taking another sip off his own drink. "I don't know what this is. I guess… I can't deny that I'm really attracted to Louis, but I'm not sure how he feels about me. Maybe he's just making fun of me, you know?"

Niall shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you should be careful. He's older than you, right?"

Harry nodded. "Three years, as far as I know."

Niall bit his lip and nodded. "Nineteen… Yeah, be careful. But hey, if it feels right and he likes you as much as you like him, I don't see why you shouldn't just let yourself live a little. Go for it; have some fun. You're young, he's young, and sure, work relationships aren't ideal, but since you're only going to be there for four weeks, it's not like it could cause any serious problems. And Harry, this is the first time I've seen you this smitten with a guy. I know you want love and all that, but if he's a nice guy and he's interested in you, there's no reason for you to deny yourself this. I say go for it. Be a little adventurous."

Niall grinned, waggling his eyebrows suggestively, and after rolling his eyes and laughing, Harry looked down into his glass, smiling to himself. He _did_ have a little crush on Louis, and Niall was probably right. Even if it wasn't the love of his life, this could be something really great, and he already knew he wasn't going to say no to Louis. He wasn't sure he _could_.

He finished his drink, said goodbye to Niall a little while later and walked home, wondering what the next day would bring…


	4. Chapter 4

Unfortunately, Harry didn't get to spend much time at his desk the next morning; he'd been really looking forward to more dirty messages from Louis, but sadly, it wasn't meant to be. There was a meeting that Liam wanted him to be a part of and during which he had to take notes. Since he really wanted to keep his job and excel, he had to focus on that and not on Louis, who was also present and looking ridiculously pretty. He was wearing a white shirt that maybe looked a little like a woman's blouse; but for some reason, it worked for him. Harry was pretty sure just about _any_ outfit worked for him. 

It was really hard to keep his eyes off the other boy, especially when Louis kept glancing over at him and giving him a look that made Harry's pants feel a little tighter. But after a while, he managed to keep his eyes on whoever was talking, as well as the notepad in his hand. 

When _Louis_ started talking, though, Harry kind of _had_ to look at him. Understanding what Louis was saying, however, turned out to be more difficult because Harry could only stare at the other man's lips. The way they moved and formed the words; the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled… Fuck, he was gorgeous. It was getting harder and harder to deny. 

Then, Liam started talking, but Harry was still staring at Louis. He watched him reach for his coffee, then smiled when their eyes met. Louis smiled back and was about to drink his coffee when he tilted his cup a little too much and ended up spilling half of the hot beverage all over his shirt. 

"Fuck," he hissed, pushing his chair back and dropping his cup onto the table. Harry's eyes widened and he looked down, wondering if this was his fault. 

But for some reason, that didn't make him feel bad; because it kind of meant that he had the same effect on Louis that Louis had on _him_ , and that was a good thing, right?

Not for Louis's shirt, however; that was kind of ruined. 

"Excuse me," Louis said, getting up and leaving the room. Harry watched him and resisted the urge to jump up and follow him. He had no reason to leave the room, right? Unless…

He nibbled his bottom lip, then leaned over to Liam. "Hey – should I go check on Louis; see if he needs a new shirt? I mean, it _is_ my job to assist, so…"

He blushed a little when Liam looked at him curiously, then smiled when Liam nodded. "Yeah, maybe you should. I'll take over for you."

He reached for the notepad and Harry handed it to him, then sneaked out of the office and took a deep breath as he made his way to Louis's office. He knocked hesitantly and opened the door, then almost stumbled into it when he saw Louis slide the shirt off his shoulders. 

Harry's mouth went dry. He stared at Louis's bare chest, his shoulders, his… just _everything_. Harry had never seen anything that amazing in his life. 

"Uh…"

Louis looked up and raised a brow, then smirked. "Come to watch me strip, huh? Like what you see, Harry?"

Harry flushed deeply and looked down. "I, um, I just… I'm sorry. I distracted you while you were drinking and…"

He trailed off and glanced up. "Do you need a new shirt?"

Louis looked at him for a long moment, then picked up his shirt, which had a lovely brown coffee stain on it. "Looks like it," he sighed, setting the shirt down again. Then he turned to face Harry and smiled. "And yeah. I suppose it _is_ your fault. Or mine, for looking at you, when I know what kind of effect you have on me. Maybe I should punish you, though."

Harry's breath hitched and he stared at Louis nervously when the other boy approached him. Soon, they were standing close; so close that Harry could feel Louis's breath on his face. He swallowed hard, then squeaked when Louis reached behind him to close the door. He took a few steps back until his back hit the now closed door, and Louis followed, closing the distance between them. 

Harry swallowed hard, his heart racing when he looked into Louis's incredible blue eyes. He opened his mouth, then drew back even more when Louis leaned in, their lips now barely an inch apart. It wasn't that he didn't want to be kissed, but god, Louis was driving him nuts. Just having him this close was making Harry so nervous that he thought he might die. He wasn't sure if he would actually survive a kiss.

Louis gave him a smile and was about to kiss him, when there was a knock on the door. 

Louis leaned his head back and groaned, looking as frustrated as Harry felt; then he stepped back, and Harry moved away from the door so Louis could open it. 

"Oh. Sorry – is Harry here?"

Harry stepped out from where he'd been standing behind the door and waved. "Yeah, I'm here."

Liam looked at the two of them, then licked his lips. "Right, I, uh…"

"Harry asked if I needed a new shirt, but I actually have one here for when this happens," Louis offered, managing a smile; but it looked a little strained. 

Harry looked down and happened to get a glance at Louis's crotch; his eyes widened when he saw that Louis's pants were definitely tighter than they'd been before. For some reason, that made him smile.

Liam nodded. "All right, well, then we'll let you get changed."

He looked at Harry. "Coming, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, in a second."

Liam eyed him, then left the room, and Harry took a deep, shaky breath. 

He looked at Louis for a second, then stepped closer to him and brushed his lips over the corner of his mouth before making a quick exit. His cheeks were glowing when he left the office, closing the door behind himself, and followed Liam back to his office.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

To say that Louis was stunned was the understatement of the year. Harry had actually kissed him – however briefly his lips had brushed his own mouth; it had still been a kiss. 

He was also frustrated because fuck, Liam had the worst timing in history. 

When he and Harry were gone, Louis groaned and rubbed his face, then made his way back to his desk and sat down on his chair. He leaned back and spread his legs, reaching down to adjust his erection in his too tight trousers. He nibbled his lip, then stood up again, walked back to the door and turned the key; locking the door. 

Back at his desk, he opened the instant messenger, and wrote to Harry again. 

**Louis Tomlinson:** I'm rock-hard and it's all your fault.

He leaned back, opened his pants; he wasn't going to get ice cubes to get rid of his erection. After nearly burning his chest with hot coffee and not getting to kiss Harry the way he wanted to, he deserved a wank. 

He closed his fingers around his cock and closed his eyes, leaning his head back as he started stroking himself slowly. He'd worked himself to full hardness when he heard the beep that announced a reply. He opened his eyes and read. 

**Harry Styles:** I'm sorry ;)

Louis stared at the message, then had to laugh. That cheeky little bastard…

 **Louis Tomlinson:** you're not sorry at all. typing one-handed now, sorry for possible typos.

He squeezed his cock, letting out a soft moan as he imagined it wasn’t his own, but Harry's hand on his cock right now. The thought was almost enough to make him come right then and there. 

**Harry Styles:** Are you touching yourself?

 **Louis Tomlinson:** yeah

 **Harry Styles:** Wish I could watch… or help you out…

Louis groaned, his cock twitching in his hand. If Harry was going to be this way, he wouldn't last another minute. 

**Louis Tomlinson:** what would u do if u were here

Fuck punctuation; he was horny.

He licked his lips and leaned back, sliding his hand down to rub his balls; then back up his erection to rub the head of it lightly. It took a while for Harry's next message to arrive, but when it did, Louis's eyes nearly rolled out of his head because _fuck_ , the kid was obviously not as innocent as he looked. 

**Harry Styles:** I'd touch you. I'd wrap my hand around you and stroke you. I'd kiss your neck and bite your ear, and then I'd get on my knees and take you in my mouth and suck you off.

Louis needed a moment to compose himself. He bit his lip hard as he imagined the scenario Harry had just described; Harry on his knees in front of him, those full, pink lips wrapped around his erection. He'd tangle his hand in that thick, curly hair and would fuck that beautiful mouth…

 **Louis Tomlinson:** fuck, yeah...

 **Harry Styles:** I'd let you fuck my throat and would take you in as far as possible. And then I'd let you come all over my face…

Louis's eyes widened and he almost growled, squeezing his cock painfully as his orgasm was ripped from him and he came all over his hand and stomach; the thought of Harry's beautiful cherub face covered with his come too much for him to handle. 

He needed a moment to recover from the force of his orgasm; then he reached for his coffee-stained shirt and wiped his hand and stomach clean before tucking himself back into his pants and licking his lips. He reached for his water bottle and drank half of it thirstily before looking back at Harry's messages, shaking his head. 

Part of him couldn't believe Harry had actually written those. 

**Louis Tomlinson:** Well, thank you. That definitely helped. ;)

 **Harry Styles:** :D I'm glad…

 **Louis Tomlinson:** What is it about you? You look so bloody innocent, and then you write messages like that, and I'm honestly a little stunned that you have such an intense effect on me. 

**Harry Styles:** I'm not as innocent as I look ;)

Louis groaned and rubbed his face. This boy would be the death of him. 

He looked back at his screen when another message arrived. 

**Harry Styles:** Actually, I am pretty innocent when it comes to… stuff. Doesn't mean I don't have a dirty mind, though.

Louis smiled and scratched his ear thoughtfully, then decided to just give up on all pretence and go for it. 

**Louis Tomlinson:** Would you like to go for a drink with me tonight after work? 

He stood up then and put on another shirt, giving Harry some time to think about that question. He opened the window and looked outside, taking a deep breath and wondering when exactly he'd begun to fall for Harry.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Harry was beaming from ear to ear. He couldn't hide how happy Louis's last message made him; he actually wanted to take him out! On a date! This wasn't just about fucking him – Louis actually wanted to get to know him! Or so Harry thought anyway…

He licked his lips and thought about it for a moment; wondering if it was too soon.

But then he shook his head, and decided that it didn't matter. He _wanted_ to go out with Louis. Niall's "go for it" came back to him then, and after a moment, he typed his reply. 

**Harry Styles:** I'd like that very much… :)

He looked down at himself and nodded; he looked good enough for a date. He would've liked to wear something different for such an important first date, but since he didn't have the time to go back home and change, he might as well just wear this. 

He glanced up when Louis's reply came. 

**Louis Tomlinson:** Good. Then I'll meet you around the corner of the building around 5 :) We can grab a bite to eat and then go for a drink, or just go straight to the pub – it's up to you. 

**Louis Tomlinson:** I'm really happy you said yes, Harry.

Harry grinned and couldn't suppress a little squeak; he was ridiculously happy. 

**Harry Styles:** I'm happy you asked me :)

They both went back to work then; Harry wrote a report about the meeting with the notes he'd made, even though it was kind of hard to focus when he knew he was going out with Louis tonight. He tried to imagine what it would be like; if he would manage to push his shyness aside and be himself, or if he would end up embarrassing himself and chasing Louis away. 

He really didn't hope for the latter.

Around half past four, he called it good, reached for his phone and called Niall.

"Harry! To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?"

Harry snorted. He opened his mouth to just say 'hi', but then he couldn't contain his glee anymore. "I have a date tonight!"

He could practically feel Niall's brows shoot up on the other end of the line. "No shit! With your Louis guy?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. He… I… it was amazing, Niall."

He told Niall all about what had happened, and wasn't surprised when Niall was happy and excited for him. He even got a few tips from his friend, who was far more experienced with dating than he was. Of course Niall had only dated girls, but he could still give Harry a few helpful suggestions. 

Finally, it was time to go, and Harry's heart was racing. He tried to take a few deep, calming breaths, but they didn't seem to help. He took the lift downstairs and made his way around the building to the spot where he was going to meet Louis. 

He nibbled his lip and checked his reflection in a random shop's window, leaning forward and making his curls fall into his face before he fluffed them up and pushed them back. He tugged on his t-shirt and jacket, trying to make himself look as presentable as possible, then whirled around when he heard a soft laugh to his left. 

Louis was watching him, an amused smile on his lips. Harry stared at him for a moment, then managed a smile, even as his cheeks filled with colour again. He suddenly remembered what kind of dirty messages he'd sent Louis before, and was a bit embarrassed, but Louis's smile made him feel at ease. 

Clearly, Louis liked him dirty. 

"Ready?" Louis asked after a moment of silence when he'd stepped closer, light fingertips brushing Harry's arm. 

Harry took a shaky breath and nodded. "Ready."


	5. Chapter 5

They went straight to a small pub not too far away from the office – but far enough to avoid other colleagues. Harry wasn't offended that Louis wanted to keep their date a secret; he knew it was necessary. The pub was small yet comfortable and not too crowded; maybe that would change in the course of the evening, but for now, they easily found a table in a relatively dark corner. Harry's stomach fluttered when he imagined what kind of things they could do here without anyone noticing…

Louis got up to get them drinks; a Coke for Harry, a beer for himself. Harry actually wouldn't have minded some liquid courage for once, but he understood that Louis didn't want to risk ordering alcohol for a sixteen year old. Or maybe he just didn't want to give Harry the impression he was trying to get him drunk. Harry wasn't sure. 

When their drinks arrived, Harry reached for his Coke right away and took a few sips, then looked down at his hand on the table. When he glanced up, he found Louis watching him, and gave him a little smile. 

"You're beautiful," Louis said, then paused. "I'm sorry – I don't mean to make you uncomfortable with my many compliments, but… you really are beautiful."

Harry smiled to himself and traced a pattern on the table. "Thank you."

"I hope you didn't feel like you had to say yes," Louis continued. "I wouldn't want you to just accept because you're afraid you're going to lose your job or that I'd spread nasty rumours about you or something – I wouldn't do that to you."

Harry looked up, frowning a little. "I didn't think you would."

Louis gave him a smile. "Good. Because I wouldn't."

He reached for his beer, and Harry watched him drink. He wondered if he only imagined it, or if Louis's hand was actually trembling a little as he set his glass back down…

"So. Tell me more about yourself, Harry."

Louis leaned back, folded his arms over his chest and looked at him with genuine interest.

Harry groaned inwardly; he hated general questions like that; was always afraid of telling the other person stuff they didn't want to hear. He glanced back down at the table and thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I'm sixteen," he started. "This is my first time jobbing during the holidays… I never really needed to, but like I told you – I wanted to prove something to my dad this time. I'm… in college, starting my last year in autumn. I'm not sure what I want to do with my life afterwards, but I'm guessing I'll go to university."

He shrugged, glancing up; afraid to see a very bored Louis – but the other boy actually seemed interested. He smiled hesitantly. 

"Well, you don't have to feel bad about not knowing what to do with your life – I'm three years older than you and I _still_ don't know, so…" Louis smiled back. "Do you and your father get along well?"

Harry shook his head instantly. "No. I don't like him very much. I mean… of course he buys me everything I want; but it would be nice if he was actually around from time to time. We used to spend much more time together when I was younger but for the past few years, he's been mostly focused on work. Which sucks, but… it's not like I can force him to spend time with me."

Louis nodded. "I can imagine. My dad left us when I was twelve, so I didn't get to see him much after that. But I'm really close to my mum… what about you?"

Harry bit his lip and shook his head. "She left when I was little."

"Oh," Louis said, biting his lip. "I'm sorry, Harry."

Harry shook his head. "No, it's okay. I don't remember her much. But that's what makes it harder not to have my dad around much, you know? If I had one of them, I would be okay, but without both of them… it gets lonely sometimes."

He sipped some more Coke, looking thoughtful. "But I have great friends, so I guess that's worth something too, right?"

He gave Louis a little smile, and Louis nodded. "Definitely."

There was a moment of silence before Harry licked his lips and tilted his head at Louis. "Your turn."

Louis smiled. "Is it?"

Harry raised a brow challengingly and Louis laughed. "Right. Sorry. Well, I'm from Doncaster, originally, and left home after I finished school. I had a few jobs before your dad hired me, but they were all rather crappy compared to this. I would've liked to stay in Doncaster to help out my mum with the girls – I have four sisters – but at the same time, I also didn't want to get stuck there, you know? So now I'm sending her some money every few weeks and visit as often as I can, so… it works. Maybe I'll go back there someday. I don't know."

He paused. "It does get a little lonely, though, yeah. I came here on my own, and I've made a few friends, but it's not the same as home, you know?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah," he said softly, then beamed. "Well, now you've made a new friend!"

Louis laughed. "True, I have."

They looked at each other, smiling for a while, then Louis licked his lips. "So… you're single, right? I'm not pissing off some tall, tanned, muscular boyfriend by taking you out? Or worse – a girlfriend with ten inch heels? Cause ouch."

He grimaced, and Harry cracked up. "No. No, I'm single. You are too, right?"

Louis nodded. "Yeah. I'm all free."

He smiled again; a more intimate smile this time that made Harry blush a little. He looked down and bit his lip, then blinked when he felt Louis's fingers brush his own. He glanced up at him through his curls and returned the smile, taking a deep breath and brushing his own fingers against Louis's lightly as well. 

They sat there in comfortable silence for a while until Harry really had to pee, and he was almost afraid to leave Louis for fear of him not being there when he came back. 

But fortunately, he was.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

While Harry was gone, Louis ordered them a new round of drinks, then shifted a little on the bench so he was sitting closer to Harry. Or would be, when the other boy came back. He looked up when the boy in question appeared and gave him a smile, then patted the spot next to him. 

Harry seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then immediately sat down next to him. Louis looked at him with a smile and wrapped an arm around him, pulling Harry close. Harry leaned against him immediately, and Louis took a deep breath. Having Harry this close was doing things to him, but he knew he couldn't take things too far tonight. He had to show Harry that his intentions were pure, first. 

They stayed like that for a little while; Louis's head resting on top of Harry's as they listened to the music playing in the background and people talking. After a moment, Louis buried his face in those thick curls and breathed them in; Harry's scent was intoxicating. 

When Harry glanced up at him, Louis touched his face softly, brushing gentle fingertips over his cheek and jaw. He looked down into those beautiful green eyes for a long moment; then tilted Harry's chin up and leaned down to brush his lips over Harry's. 

He kept his eyes open for a second, smiling when Harry's eyes closed instantly and he practically melted into the kiss. Louis made a soft sound and tightened his arm around Harry as he deepened the kiss slowly; Harry's lips tasted even sweeter than he'd expected. Part of it was definitely the Coke he'd just had, but Louis was pretty sure that Harry tasted naturally sweet. 

Harry's kiss was soft and hesitant, and Louis didn't mind guiding the younger boy. 

He shifted a little and pulled Harry closer, sliding a hand into his curls and sighing into the kiss as their tongues slid against each other. The kiss was slow and wet and maybe a little hesitant; but at the same time, it was the most erotic and intimate kiss Louis had ever given anyone. His stomach flipped a little when he felt Harry hesitantly wrap an arm around him, his hand cupping the back of his neck as their lips slid against each other. 

He had to draw back after a while and suck in a deep breath, and when he stared down at Harry, who still had his eyes closed, his lips red and glistening, he realized that he was in love. This wasn't just a fling; he recognized the difference already. If it was just a fling, he wouldn't even have bothered to take Harry out on an actual date; he would've just asked him to come back to his flat, and that would've been it. 

But this was more than that. 

The only thing he was worried about, was that Harry may be a little young for this. He was a good kisser, but it was clear that he didn't have much experience, and what Harry had mentioned before during their messenger conversation; that he was rather innocent, made Louis pause. 

But then he looked down at that beautiful face again; pale skin and long, dark eyelashes, and he knew he wouldn't be able to deny himself this if he tried. 

He brushed his fingertips over Harry's cheek, smiling when the corners of the other boy's mouth hitched up into a smile. He rubbed his thumb over Harry's bottom lip lightly, then leaned in and kissed him fully, letting everything else go and just concentrating on the feel, taste and smell of the boy in his arms. 

His breath hitched and an involuntary moan escaped him when Harry suddenly started sucking on _his_ bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth and grazing his teeth over t. Louis couldn't suppress a little moan when Harry deepened the kiss; returning it much more demandingly than Louis had been prepared for.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Harry wasn't sure how long they'd been sitting there with their arms around each other, just making out like the horny teenagers they were, but when he finally drew back and broke the kiss, it was dark outside, the pub was considerably fuller and his lips were actually a little swollen. 

He took a breath and reached for his glass, trying to make his heart stop pounding as he sipped his Coke thirstily. Louis had finished his beer when Harry turned back to him, and gave him a shy smile. 

Louis returned it and touched his cheek gently, his fingers cool on Harry's heated cheek. Harry stared up into Louis's deep blue eyes and kissed his fingertips when they brushed his lips again. 

"I should take you home," Louis said after a long moment of silence. "It's getting late and we have work tomorrow… where do you live anyway?"

Harry shrugged. "Just a couple of tube stations away," he murmured. "You don't have to take me, though, I can get there on my own."

Louis shook his head. "Nonsense. I'm not letting you take the Underground on your own at this time of night. Don't worry about it; I'm glad for every second I get to spend in your company."

Harry melted a little and flushed, giving him a wide smile. Louis was a lot sweeter than he'd expected. He hadn't thought he was a bastard or anything, but he also hadn't expected the date to go this well. At least he'd managed not to make a complete fool of himself.

They grabbed their jackets and Louis paid despite Harry's protests, and when they were outside, he immediately reached for his hand. Harry's heart skipped a beat and he wrapped his fingers around Louis's, giving him a warm smile. 

They walked in silence, both of them so lost in their thoughts that they almost didn't notice that they were back in front of the office and that Liam happened to come out at that exact moment. 

They both let go of the other's hand instantly.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Liam was tired, but pleased when he left the office that night; he'd managed to finish the report he'd been working on for days, and was now looking forward to a warm shower and his bed. When he exited the building, he almost ran into Louis, and blinked when he saw that Harry was there too. 

"Oh hey… what are you two doing here at this time of night?" He smiled. "You didn't just leave, did you?"

He looked at them curiously, not noticing the flushed cheeks and swollen lips. 

"No," Louis said after a moment, giving him a lopsided grin. "We just went for a drink after work and time flies when you're having fun, you know? Gonna take Harry home now, though, can't risk him being late for work tomorrow, eh?"

Liam smiled. "Yeah…" He glanced at his watch. "It's not that late anyway, so I'm sure it'll be fun."

He was silent for a moment, sliding his hands into his pockets and nodding. "Right, I suppose I'll see you tomorrow then. Night."

"Night, mate," Louis said as Liam walked away. He found it a little odd that Louis spent so much time with Harry, but at the same time, it made him feel a little better because he didn't have as much time to look after Harry than he'd thought when he'd first agreed to be his supervisor. And he didn't hear Harry complaining, so he was sure it was all okay.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Close one," Louis breathed when Liam was out of sight, and gave Harry a little smirk. He nudged Harry's arm lightly and smiled when Harry slid his hand out of his pocket and let him wrap his hand around his. He gave Harry a smile, then leaned over and kissed his cheek, and they continued on their way to the subway station. 

Two stops and a few heated kisses later, they were at their destination, and Louis looked up at the impressively big house Harry apparently lived in. He hadn't expected any less, considering his father's position and fortune, but seeing the luxury Harry was used to still made him feel a little intimidated. 

He turned back to Harry. "So… I guess this is it," he murmured, giving him a little smile. "I had a lot of fun tonight."

"Me too," Harry said, his voice low and his eyes shining in the dim light of the street lamps. Louis cupped his cheek gently, then leaned in and pulled Harry close for another kiss; and when it deepened, he pulled him behind the nearest tree, just to make sure his father didn't happen to look out of the window and see them. He didn't want to risk his own job, or for Harry to get in trouble. 

He gently pushed Harry against the tree, a soft sound escaping him at the sensation of Harry's lips pressed against his own. 

Then he finally drew back reluctantly, wishing the evening could go on forever. 

"Goodnight, Harry," he said softly, stroking Harry's curls gently.

"Night," Harry whispered. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah," Louis agreed, then finally stepped back to let him go. He leaned against the tree as he watched Harry jump up the steps that led to the front door, and smiled and waved at him when Harry had opened the door and disappeared inside the house. 

He stood there for a long moment, then looked up when the light went on in one of the windows on the second floor. He couldn't see Harry, but could imagine what he was doing; taking off his clothes, putting on his pyjamas and brushing his teeth… and a short time later, the light went out again, and Louis turned to go home. 

As he walked down the street on his way to his own apartment, he actually found himself skipping a little, and didn't give a damn if anyone saw him. He was happy, he was in love, and nothing else mattered.


	6. Chapter 6

Harry woke up the next morning with a wide smile on his face. He'd dreamed about Louis and couldn't _wait_ to go to work to see him again. He hoped it wouldn't be awkward. But why would it be? It had been perfect last night, so there was no reason for it to suddenly be weird today, right?

He took his time in the bathroom, taking a long shower and making sure that his curls were extra-fluffy because he had a feeling, Louis kind of liked his hair a lot. He'd played with it all the time the previous night; hopefully, this would make him want to touch them again. Because Louis threading his fingers through his curls was one of the most amazing things Harry had ever felt. Niall petted him sometimes, but it was obviously different when Louis did it. 

Done with his shower, he groaned a little when he spotted a huge zit on his chin – that was really not necessary right now. He sighed and squeezed it, sighing heavily at the now huge red spot on his chin and wondering why being a teenager had to suck so much. 

Of course _Louis's_ skin was flawless. Life was unfair. 

He chose a white V-neck t-shirt, simple black chinos and a half-sleeved blazer, and dressed quickly, then smiled at himself in the mirror before he stumbled down the stairs because he was so eager to leave. 

When he went into the kitchen to make some coffee – now that he knew how to make it – he froze. 

"You're still here? I figured you'd be at work by now," his father said dryly as he looked at him, raising an eyebrow. He was sitting at the kitchen table, reading his newspaper and drinking some coffee.

Harry blinked; he hadn't expected his _father_ to still be there. He opened his mouth to respond, but his father continued. "It's not really surprising you overslept, though, considering how late you got home last night."

Harry didn't manage to keep his cheeks from flushing a little at the accusation, but did furrow his brow. His father never gave a damn when he came home, so he had no right to suddenly disapprove. "It wasn't _that_ late," Harry mumbled. "And I didn't oversleep, I'm just…"

He happened to look at the large clock in the kitchen then, and gasped when he saw that it actually _was_ rather late. "Just gonna be on time if I leave now. Bye," he finished, then grabbed his wallet and keys, left the house quickly and decided not to take the Underground. He was late and could get there pretty fast if he ran; so that's what he did.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The first thing Louis did when he got to work was go to Harry's office to give him a good morning kiss. When he'd knocked on the door twice, received no response and opened the door to find Harry's room empty, he'd started worrying. Harry had always been there before him – which wasn't difficult to do, considering Louis was usually late. Today, he'd been on time, however, and found it strange that Harry wasn't there yet. 

He wondered if it had something to do with him. Maybe Harry had thought about their date the previous night, and decided that he didn't want to see Louis anymore. Maybe he didn't feel comfortable coming to work now that he'd made out with one of his colleagues. 

Louis nibbled his lips and was about to pull out his phone – which was pointless, considering he didn't even have Harry's number – when he heard the elevator's doors open and someone say, "Excuse me!"

A moment later, Harry stumbled into the reception area, out of breath, his curls wild, his cheeks flushed. Louis stared at him, a smile appearing on his lips because Harry looked _so_ fucking adorable. 

He watched him for a few moments, then grinned when Harry leaned forward and held his stomach, trying to catch his breath. 

"You okay there, Mr. Styles?" he asked teasingly, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice. 

Harry looked up at once and stared at him, his cheeks colouring a little as he released another deep breath. "Yeah. Just thought I was gonna be late," he murmured, rubbing his side. 

Louis glanced at his watch and raised a brow. "Well, technically you _are_ a little late. But don't worry about it. I won't tell anyone, and the big boss isn't here yet."

He winked, and Harry groaned. "Yeah, I know; he was still at home when I left."

He grimaced, and Louis raised a brow. "Ahh. Huh. Are you okay? You look a little… flushed."

Louis smirked, and Harry gave him a look. Then he nodded. "Yeah. Just a little out of breath. I'll be fine."

He took another deep breath, then finally calmed down and licked his lips. 

Louis watched his tongue dart out and slide over his bottom lip, and he really, really just wanted to push Harry against the nearest wall and kiss him breathless. But doing that right here, out in the open, was definitely not a good idea. 

He was about to ask Harry to come to his office for some passionate snogging when – who else? – Liam showed up. 

"Oh there you are," he said, looking at Harry. "I thought you'd overslept or called in sick and that I'd missed your call… I've been looking for you."

Harry gave him a sheepish smile. "Yeah, I was a few minutes late. I'm sorry."

Liam shook his head. "It's fine. I just had an idea I wanted to run by you."

Louis resisted the urge to shove Liam back into his office where he'd come from so he could make out with Harry, but instead settled for leaning back against the wall and watching Harry's brows go up as he looked at Liam interestedly. 

"I'm going to assist one of the more experienced lawyers at court today, and I was wondering if you'd be interested in joining us," Liam said. "I figured since you work at a law firm, you might be interested in seeing what actually goes on in court, so unless you really don't want to…"

Harry looked like he was about to say yes, but at the last moment, his eyes flicked over to Louis and he looked at him searchingly. Louis gave him an encouraging smile and nodded; as much as he wanted to just kiss Harry all day long – which probably wasn't possible in the first place – he wasn't going to stand in the way of Liam's plans. If Harry had the chance to see what happened during a trial, Louis wasn't going to keep him from it. 

Harry smiled back, then nodded at Liam. "Sure. I'd love to."

Liam nodded. "All right, then be ready in fifteen minutes, yeah?"

"Sure," Harry agreed, nodding, and Liam left. 

Harry took another deep breath and turned back to Louis, who gave him a smile. "I bet you'd look sexy in those black robes and a wig," he said teasingly, and Harry groaned. 

"Am I going to have to wear that?" He looked a little horrified. 

Louis snorted and shook his head. "No. But I bet you'd look sexy."

Harry rolled his eyes and grinned, then bit his lip. "Hey – so I was wondering if you could give me your phone number. I wanted to text you last night, but I couldn't, so…"

Louis nodded. "Of course."

They exchanged phone numbers, and Louis breathed in Harry's intoxicating scent. He sighed softly, touching Harry's forearm lightly. "Let's go to my office for a moment. I need to give you something."

Harry raised a brow. "Oh yeah?" he murmured, then stepped away when a door opened and someone came out. He blushed a little, then Louis indicated for Harry to follow him as he walked back to his office. When they were inside and the door was closed, Harry looked at him expectantly and Louis smiled. 

"Come here, you," he murmured, reaching for Harry's wrist, wrapping his hand around it and pulling him close. He brushed Harry's curls out of his face, then leaned in and pulled him into a deep kiss. Harry let out a whimper – a fucking _whimper_ that went straight to Louis's cock – and deepened the kiss instantly. 

Louis knew they had to be careful, but right now, he didn't give a damn about anything; he just wanted to kiss Harry again. 

They stood there, making out for several minutes, until Harry drew back and let out a shaky breath. "I need to go," he whispered, and Louis nodded. "I know."

Still, he couldn't keep himself from pulling Harry into one more passionate kiss before releasing him reluctantly. 

Then he gave him a smile, which Harry returned, and watched him leave the room. "See you later."

Louis let his head fall back and sucked in a deep breath, and blew it out slowly. That boy was going to be the death of him. He barely knew him and was already addicted to him.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ 

As it turned out, trials were boring. 

Harry was sitting in the back of the room, far away from Liam, and had _tried_ to follow what was going on in the front of the room – he really had – but after a while, he'd come to the conclusion that he wasn't going to understand what was going on, no matter how long he listened. The lawyers were basically attacking each other with big, fancy words that Harry had never heard in his _life_ – and he prided himself on his excellent, extensive vocabulary, so that was saying something. 

He gave up on watching, pulled his phone out and played some games – until he got bored with that too, and wondered if this trial was going to last for _hours_. A glance at his watch told him that barely an hour had passed since they'd entered the room, but it felt like a whole day to Harry. 

He deleted a few old text messages to pass the time, then suddenly realized that he had Louis's number now. He could text him! That should keep him busy for a while. 

He pondered for a moment, then wrote: _I'd rather be in your office right now. – H_

He smirked when Louis's reply came instantly. _You would, huh? Is it that boring or am I just that irresistible? – L_

Harry snorted, then smiled sheepishly when the man next to him gave him a disapproving frown. "Sorry," he whispered. 

_A bit of both, I suppose? ;) – H_

The reply he got then made him grin hugely, and he had to suppress a happy squeak. _You're the one who's irresistible, though. xx – L_

Harry looked at the two kisses Louis had sent him and sighed happily. _If you say so… xxx – H_

 _You really are, Harry,_ was Louis's response. Another text followed a moment later, _Do you have time tonight? – L_

Harry closed his eyes for a moment and just smiled; Louis really _did_ want to spend more time with him. 

_I always have time for you :) – H_

He wondered if Louis was smiling as widely as he was, and that thought alone made his stomach flutter a little because Louis's smile was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. 

He looked down when his phone vibrated. _Aww :) You charmer, you. What would you like to do then? – L_

Harry thought about that for a moment, but in the end, it didn't matter to him. He just wanted to be with Louis. 

_I don't know; pub again? A movie? I'm not very creative when it comes to dates, so I'll leave that in your capable hands. – H_

_I'll think on it and will get back to you. Now tell me, are you wearing one of those wigs and robes? – L_

Harry almost laughed out loud and had to clamp a hand over his mouth to keep himself from making an obnoxiously loud sound. He man next to him huffed, and Harry rolled his eyes; he was pretty sure that the man understood about as much about the trial as Harry did, so there really was no reason for him to be all offended.

_No, I'm not. Why, does the idea turn you on? – H_

Harry slid down on the bench and got comfortable; as far as he was concerned, the trial could last for hours now, since he'd finally found the perfect distraction.

_Cheeky! But yes, as a matter of fact, it does. But it's more the idea of you wearing nothing *under* those robes that turns me on ;) – L_

Harry's brows shot up and he grinned, licking his lips slowly. _Who knows, maybe I can steal one and wear it for you. Not sure about the wig, though. – H_

He could almost see Louis smirking in his office, and wondered if he was touching himself again. He hoped he would get to see _that_ at some point; just thinking about that made his trousers feel a little tighter. 

_Hmmm, maybe. I'd rather see you without any clothes ;) – L_

Harry's cheeks heated up a little and he rubbed the back of his neck. If Louis was going to get all dirty on him again, he would have to leave the room, because touching himself in a room full of people was probably frowned upon. 

Fortunately – or unfortunately – he didn't have to, since Louis's next text announced that he had to go see Harry's father now. Harry sighed heavily and said goodbye, then looked back to the front of the room, relieved when the trial was finally over. 

About time. 

 

"So, did you learn anything?" Liam asked Harry on their way back to the office. Harry was very aware of Liam's eyes on him and bit his lip lightly, not sure how to tell him that he hadn't really paid attention to the trial at all because he'd been too busy sending naughty texts to Louis Tomlinson.

"I get it," Liam said after a moment, laughing. "It's a lot of information to take in, at first. And if you don't have the necessary legal knowledge, it can be quite hard to follow. Don't worry about it; I just wanted you to see the inside of a courtroom."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, it was a little too much for me, but still very interesting."

Okay, so that was a blatant lie, and Harry felt a little guilty, but… he couldn't tell Liam the truth either. 

Liam smiled. "I'm glad."

They walked in silence until they arrived at the office, going their separate ways once they were inside the building. Liam had to work on his case, and Harry would hopefully find out what Louis had planned for their date tonight. 

As it turned out, Louis had chosen dinner and a movie, and for the rest of the day, Harry couldn't wait for it to finally be evening, so he could spend more time with his hopefully soon-to-be boyfriend.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Liam, on the other hand, didn't have a fun date to look forward to; just another late night and maybe a good book before bed. His amazing plans, however, changed drastically, when his phone rang around 7 pm. 

"Payne?"

"Yeah. I _am_ in pain because it's been so fucking long since I've seen you, mate!"

Liam's face lit up instantly and he smiled. "Hey Zayn. Good to hear from you."

He could hear Zayn taking a drag off his cigarette on the other end of the line, and the sound had something so familiar and comforting that he had to smile, despite the fact that he usually gave Zayn endless crap about his annoying habit. 

"Yeah – figured I'd reach you at work, since you practically live there," Zayn murmured. 

Liam sighed. "I know. I work too much, I should get a life; you don't let me forget about it."

"And I'll keep reminding you until you stop putting your career ahead of your own well-being," Zayn said. "Seriously, Liam, how long has it _been_?"

Liam did take a moment to consider his friend's question and bit his lip, thinking. It had actually been so long that he couldn't really remember when he'd last had sex – but he definitely wasn't going to give Zayn the satisfaction of admitting that, so he just shrugged. "Was there anything you wanted?"

"Yeah," Zayn said, taking another drag off his cigarette. "I was going to ask you if you'd fancy a drink, but I changed my mind and am just informing you that I'm taking you out tonight, whether you want to or not. So before you protest – I'm not taking no for an answer. If I have to, I'll come over there and drag you to the pub by your hair."

Liam rubbed his eyes; a drink with his best friend sounded like the best thing he'd heard all week, but he sighed heavily. "I can't, Zayn. I have so much work; I just… I can't."

"Well, then you're going to have to finish whatever it is you're working on later because I _will_ come over and remove you forcefully if I have to. I've done it once before, if you remember. Do you really want a repetition of that?"

Liam bit his lip for a moment, then shook his head. "No. Okay, fine. I'll go out with you."

He could practically feel Zayn's smirk through the phone. "Great! See you at the pub in half an hour then. If you're not there…" He trailed off, his tone threatening.

"Yeah, yeah," Liam laughed. "You'll come and pull my hair – I got it. I'll be there."

"Good." Zayn sounded satisfied, and they said their goodbyes a moment later. 

When Liam had hung up, he looked at the pile of files he still had to go through before the end of the week, but then sighed and shut down his computer. Zayn was right – he worked too much and should relax a little more often, so for tonight, he was done and would have some fun. 

He pulled on his jacket and left without a glance back. 

It was the first time in weeks he was leaving the office before the sun had set.


	7. Chapter 7

The restaurant Louis had picked for their date was nice. Harry liked it instantly – but really, you couldn't go wrong with Italian food. Harry loved pizza and pasta, so the fact that Louis had chosen this place made him like Louis so much more. And he liked him a whole lot already. 

Louis asked for a table near the back, so that they'd have their privacy, and Harry gave him a smile when they were finally seated. While Louis was studying the menu, Harry just kept watching him, trying to figure out why a gorgeous guy like Louis wanted to go out with _him_. It was unfathomable. 

It didn't take long for Louis to notice he was being watched, and Harry's first reflex was to hide behind his own menu. This made Louis laugh, and Harry peeked over the top of the card, grinning. "Sorry for staring."

Louis tilted his head, smiling back. "Don't apologize. Sometimes I can't stop staring at you either."

Harry lowered his menu and smiled, then reached for Louis's hand and squeezed it lightly. 

They chose their food, and Louis ordered some wine; then they just sat there for a while, gazing into each other's eyes and holding hands. After a moment, Harry remembered something. "Oh! So why did you have to go see my dad earlier?"

Louis's eyes widened a little and he groaned. "Oh man, don't remind me. I was freaking out."

He chuckled and reached for his glass to sip some wine, before continuing, "I was sure he knew something – that he'd somehow found out I'm corrupting his good little boy and that he was going to kick my arse. I'm seriously becoming paranoid." He grinned, then shook his head. "But as it turned out, all he wanted was to talk to me about something I worked on a couple of weeks ago. So basically, I freaked out for nothing."

He grinned, and Harry had to laugh as he imagined Louis in that situation. "He doesn't know, though, so you don't have to worry," he said then, shrugging. "I figure we'll tell him when it gets serious, and…"

He trailed off and flushed when he realized he'd just said that out loud. He looked down, not sure how Louis would react to Harry's bold assumption that they were going to 'get serious'. 

He glanced up when Louis nudged his hand gently, and found the older boy smiling back at him. "We will," Louis said softly, and Harry's eyes widened just a little because Louis wanted something serious too! He'd hoped so desperately that Louis felt the same way about him, and apparently he did!

He couldn't keep the smile off his face, and resisted the urge to leap over the table, pounce Louis and kiss him hard. He had a feeling, the other people in the restaurant wouldn't appreciate that all that much. 

He took a deep breath and Louis laced their fingers, brushing his thumb over Harry's hand, both of them smiling sappily.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

When Liam came out of the building, he was surprised to find Zayn standing there already – hadn't he said they'd meet at the pub? Huh. He took a moment to watch his best friend, who was leaning against the building and smoking. Liam was torn between wanting to grab the cigarette and toss it away, and watching him some more because for some reason, Zayn managed to make even a disgusting habit like smoking look sexy. 

He blinked at that thought and frowned, wondering where _that_ had come from, then shook his head and took a breath, marching over to him with a smile. "Hey!"

Zayn looked up and gave him a small, lazy grin in return, raising his hand in a small wave. "Hey. Figured I'd come here because I was pretty sure I'd have to come and get you but… apparently not! What got into you?"

Liam rolled his eyes and grinned, sliding his hands into his pockets. "I guess I'm thirsty and in need of a break."

Zayn pushed himself off the wall and threw the cigarette into the street, then grinned. "Now that's something I like to hear. What are you in the mood for then? Pub, or do you want to dance your stress off? Or we could do both."

Liam frowned. "I have to get up early tomorrow morning, so I can't drink too much _or_ wait for the clubs to open, so… pub for a beer or two, and then I'll go home."

Zayn snorted. "Yeah, right. I finally got you to go out with me; I'm not letting you go home before eleven."

He wrapped an arm around Liam and squeezed his shoulder. "But fine – pub it is."

Liam smiled as they walked, listening to Zayn tell him about his exciting life. Meanwhile, he tried to remember how long it had actually been since he'd last seen his best friend; it had to have been several weeks. He couldn't blame Zayn for complaining he never saw him; he really had to make an effort and take better care of his friendships. He didn't want to end up losing Zayn.

They arrived at the pub a short time later, found two free stools by the bar, and Zayn ordered them two beers. They got them after a couple of minutes, clinked glasses, and drank some. Liam was still doing that when Zayn started talking. 

"You look so tense, man. Seriously, how long has it _been_? I think you need to get laid; and soon."

Liam choked on his beer and coughed a little, setting the glass down and wiping the beer off his chin. "Dude, Zayn, a little warning would've been great."

Zayn smirked. "I never warn."

He wiggled his brows and Liam snorted, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"So?" Zayn asked after a moment, and Liam sighed. He was obviously not going to drop this. 

"I don't know," he admitted. "A few months… a year? Maybe more than that?"

He watched Zayn's eyes widen comically, and felt his cheeks flush a little. He folded his arms over his chest and shrugged defensively. It wasn't like he _chose_ to be alone. Sometimes he wished he did have someone to come home to at night, but so far, he just hadn't met the right person yet. He figured that it would happen when the time was right. And it wasn't like he missed sex… much. Maybe he just wasn't as sexual a person as Zayn was. 

"How is that even possible? I mean, how do you _do_ it? If I hadn't gotten laid at all the past few _weeks_ , I'd be so horny I wouldn't be able to focus on anything, let alone the last few _years_. Fuck, Liam, I really don't know how you do it."

Zayn shook his head, and Liam shrugged. "I guess you just don't miss it after a while."

He reached for his beer again, closing his eyes as he downed about half of it in one go. If Zayn was going to talk to him about sex all evening, maybe getting drunk wasn't the _worst_ idea.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Back at the restaurant, Harry and Louis were eating, and Louis couldn't keep his eyes off Harry. Literally. He tried to focus on something else for a few seconds, but his eyes always ended up finding their way back to Harry. The silence between them was comfortable; something that Louis hadn't experienced with anyone for a long time. 

He also couldn't stop thinking about what Harry had said before; that they were going to tell his dad about them when things between them were getting serious. Something about that statement made him incredibly happy. It had been a while since his last serious relationship had ended. He wasn't a fan of one-night stands, but it was the only thing he'd been able to get in the year since he'd moved to London, and a meaningless shag was still better than running around with blue balls for a long period of time. Sometimes anyway.

But the thought of him and Harry actually getting serious about this made him feel all warm inside. Maybe even a little giddy. It also made him realize that he would probably have to start looking for another job. He had a feeling Harry's father wasn't very fond of him to begin with, and when he found out that Louis was – or would hopefully soon be – sleeping with his sixteen year old son, he probably wouldn't be all that happy with him.

But maybe he was wrong. Maybe he would be welcomed with open arms – but he seriously doubted that. 

He didn't even have to think about whether Harry would be worth giving up his job for; he already knew that he _was_ worth it. He couldn't explain it but he just felt connected to Harry in a way he hadn't with anyone else. Louis hadn't really believed in soul mates before, but now that he'd met Harry, he was reconsidering his opinion. 

They finished eating sometime later, and since neither of them wanted to look at the desserts, Louis pulled out his wallet and paid. They left the restaurant a few minutes later, and Louis couldn't suppress a smile when Harry reached for his hand right away, like it was the most natural thing in the world. 

And it was. It just felt _right_. 

Louis pulled him closer, sliding his arms around Harry's waist and looking at him. "What now?"

He caught Harry glancing down at his lips, and had to laugh. It looked like Harry was just as addicted to his kisses as he was to Harry's. 

"I approve," he murmured, and stepped away from the entrance of the restaurant as he pulled Harry the final few inches closer, and brushed a gentle kiss over his lips. Harry's lips parted willingly, and a soft, content sigh escaped Louis as he deepened the kiss, his fingers sliding into Harry's hair. 

When he finally drew back, he licked his lips. "Maybe we shouldn't do this out here," he murmured. "I don't want to get arrested for public indecency or something…"

Harry snickered and buried his face in his neck. Louis's eyes fluttered closed and he sighed softly as shivers ran down his back when Harry's warm breath ghosted over his skin. 

"Fuck," he breathed, pulling Harry as close as he could, their bodies only separated by their clothes. No matter what Harry did to him, Louis's body reacted to it, and he knew he should try to compose himself, but it was getting harder and harder to keep his kisses gentle and his hands above Harry's waist. 

He wanted him, and if Harry wasn't so young, he would've taken him home already and ravished him. But Harry was sixteen, and while Louis knew that most sixteen year olds were perfectly ready to have sex, he didn't want to push Harry or make him agree to something he wasn't ready for. 

No, Harry had to initiate this. 

But when he felt Harry's lips travel over his neck, his tongue darting out to trace his collarbone, it took all of Louis's strength not to push him against the wall and rub himself all over him. 

"I should take you home. Your home," he breathed before this could go any further, and his heart twisted at Harry's disappointed little whine. 

"Already?" the younger boy asked, and Louis opened his eyes to meet Harry's. "It's barely nine…"

Louis looked at Harry's kiss-swollen lips and swallowed hard. He brushed his fingers over Harry's cheek, licking his lips. "I know, babycakes," he murmured, the pet name coming naturally. "But if we keep this up, I'm going to ask you to come home with me, and I don't think we're quite ready for that yet."

Harry looked at him searchingly, and finally sighed in defeat, nodding. "You're probably right," he murmured softly. 

Louis took a shaky breath and wrapped his arms around Harry, just holding him, breathing him in. "So let's just walk to your house slowly; we can definitely take a few kiss breaks, but… it's probably time to say goodnight soon."

Harry agreed reluctantly, and Louis slipped his hand back into Harry's, squeezing it as they started walking. 

An hour and probably about ten make-out sessions later, they'd reached their destination, and Louis sighed heavily as he watched Harry disappear into the house. He was a little frustrated when he walked home that night, and when he was in bed later, he wanked himself raw and almost found himself praying that Harry would be ready sooner rather than later. He would try to be patient, but when you wanted something as badly as Louis wanted Harry, patience was the hardest fucking thing in the world.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Liam was _wasted_. 

He was completely and utterly drunk, and Zayn was amused as hell. He'd never seen his friend like this, and it had taken some coaxing on his part to get him to accept another beer, then another, but in the end, Liam had kind of lost his inhibitions and had kept ordering beer after beer. 

And now he could barely walk straight.

Around 1 am, they'd been kicked out of the pub because the owner wanted to close, and Zayn had taken one look at Liam and realized that he couldn't possibly let him walk home alone. So he'd wrapped the other man's arm around his neck and had to practically carry him home. It had taken a lot longer than he'd expected because drunk Liam was easily distracted and kept pointing out random things on their way home. He also stumbled a lot so, yeah, it wasn't fun for Zayn, who _also_ wasn't exactly sober. 

But finally, they arrived in front of Liam's house, and Zayn managed to take the keys from him – after Liam had dropped them three times. The door unlocked, they stumbled into his flat and Zayn kicked the door closed. Meanwhile, Liam threw his arms around his neck and grinned widely. 

"Zayyynnn. You're so pretty and nice; you're my best, bestest friend ever."

Zayn snorted and raised a brow at him, keeping Liam at a safe distance. "I am, huh? But yeah, you're right. I'm pretty great."

He grinned, then brushed Liam's hair back. "Let's get you to bed, all right?"

Fortunately, Liam agreed right away, and after tripping some more, they finally made their way to the bedroom. Liam collapsed face first onto the bed, and Zayn snorted as he watched him struggle to roll onto his back. 

He looked at him for a moment, then grabbed Liam's feet to take his shoes off. Then he opened his belt and fumbled with the fastenings of his friend's trousers, glancing up when Liam giggled. "What?" he asked, amused. 

"You're tryin' to get in my pants," Liam said, raising a brow at him. "You naughty, naughty boy."

Zayn snorted. "Yes, babe. That's it. Now lift your cute little arse and let me take them off, all right?"

He managed to wrestle Liam out of his clothes, and folded them neatly, knowing that Liam would probably have an aneurysm if he woke up the next morning with wrinkles in his favourite shirt. He'd probably already freak out when he saw the beer stains on it, so…

Liam rolled onto his side, curling up, then suddenly sat up, eyes wide. "I need to brush my teeth!"

Zayn almost laughed out loud. Trust Liam to still be the responsible man he was, even when he was pissed. "Babe, I don't want you to poke your eye out with your toothbrush right now, so just brush them twice as long tomorrow morning, okay?"

Liam seemed to hesitate for a moment but then nodded and flopped back down and stretched. "Mmm, okay. Night, Zayny."

Zayn looked down at him and smiled. "All right, I'll go home then."

He was about to turn around and leave when Liam's hand shot up and he wrapped it around his wrist, tugging him down with surprising strength for someone was drunk as he was. Zayn lost balance and landed on top of him, blinking. 

"Stay," Liam murmured, wrapping himself around Zayn and sighing happily. "Stay right here."

Zayn thought for a moment, then shrugged and got comfortable. "Sure, Liam. Whatever you want."

Liam made a contented little sound, then passed out and started softly snoring into Zayn's ear. Zayn smiled a little and stroked his hair, then snuggled into him and was asleep a second later.


	8. Chapter 8

The first thing Liam noticed when he woke up, was that he was naked. 

This was odd, considering he never slept naked. 

He frowned for a moment, trying to remember whether he could've accidentally taken his clothes off in the middle of the night – maybe he sleep-stripped or something. It was possible, so he shrugged and rolled over. His frown deepened, however, when he bumped into someone. This was even weirder because Liam didn't _do_ one-night stands and didn't just take random people home and let them sleep in his bed. But there was definitely someone in his bed right now. He could feel their warm breath on his arm. 

It was kind of creepy to wake up next to someone and have no idea who they were.

He took a deep breath, eyes still closed, getting ready to scream or run or hit someone, in case the person turned out to be a psycho killer or worse. He cracked an eye open and immediately groaned, relaxing as he realized he had freaked out for nothing. 

It was Zayn.

Liam snuggled closer without even realizing it, then suddenly sat up abruptly when a thought crossed his mind. Moving that fast, however, turned out to be the worst idea in history because as soon as he was in a sitting position, a sharp pain made itself noticeable in his head. "Ahhh! Ow, ohhh... fuck, my head, what's going on, this isn't fair..."

He buried his face in his hands and rubbed his temples, trying to make his head stop hurting, when he became aware of Zayn rubbing his arm lightly. He took a breath and managed to turn his head and look down at him. 

"You okay?" Zayn was squinting up at him, his voice raspy from sleep, and for a moment, Liam forgot all about his throbbing headache and just stared down at his best friend who was leaning on his elbows and looking ridiculously good. He was fully dressed – unlike Liam himself – his clothes from last night rumpled, his hair standing up in every direction, and...

He was beautiful. 

It hit Liam harder than his headache, and for a long moment, all he could do was stare at Zayn. Zayn, with his flawless skin, and his dark eyes, and the long, inky lashes and those pouty lips that practically begged to be kissed... 

That's when Liam suddenly noticed the time on his alarm clock on the bedside table behind Zayn's head and leapt off the bed. "FUCK! I'm late!"

The pain in his head returned instantly and he groaned loudly as he bolted into the bathroom.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Had Liam really just said 'fuck'?

Zayn was sitting on Liam's bed, stunned as he tried to process this. Liam didn't swear. In fact, Zayn had never once heard him use a word worse than 'bloody'. And now he'd said 'fuck'. And it had been kind of hot. 

Huh. 

He watched his friend run around like he'd been stung by a bee, frantically getting dressed and brushing his teeth and holding his head. He seemed disoriented; clearly had a bad hangover, and after seeing him hit his toe on a dresser for the third time, Zayn had seen enough. He stood up, made his way over to him and cupped his cheeks, forcing Liam to look at him.

"Liam? Calm down. Seriously. Sit down for a second and take a breath. You're three hours late, yes, but it's not the end of the fucking world. You do realize there is a thing called "sick days", right? This means you can call in and tell your boss that you're not going to come to work because you're sick."

He looked at him "I hate to break it to you but you are sick right now, or might be later, so... call the office and tell them you're staying home today."

Liam stared at him as if Zayn had just suggested they fly to the moon. "I can't just skip work, Zayn! I've got to be responsible, and it's not like I'm close to death or anything, which is the only time you should call in sick."

Zayn raised a brow at him slowly, then grabbed him and pushed him down on the bed. Then he sat down on his lap demonstratively, and raised an eyebrow challengingly, daring Liam to contradict him – or shove him.

Liam just stared at him and opened his mouth. 

"No," Zayn said, interrupting him before he could start and putting a finger to Liam's lips to silence him. "You're not going to work today – or not until you feel better anyway. You're going to get back into bed, and I'm going to get you some water and aspirin, and then I'll make you a nice hangover breakfast. And you're going to eat and drink everything I give you, and if you're feeling better then, I _might_ consider letting you go to work. Okay?"

His determination was obvious, because a short moment later, Liam sighed and nodded, giving in. "Fine. But you will let me go after breakfast. I can't possibly stay home all day."

"We'll see about that," Zayn said with a triumphant grin, patting his cheek and rising to his feet. "All right, Payne. Get comfortable and ready for the most amazing breakfast you'll ever have."

He winked, then made his way down into the kitchen to prepare some food for Liam.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

When Zayn had left the room, Liam just sat there. He didn't want to move because he was pretty sure his head would fall off, and he wasn't sure he _could_ move because Zayn had basically told him to stay right there and not move. 

He'd had no idea his friend could be that bossy – and steadily ignored his brain pointing out how sexy Zayn was when he was all dominant. 

He shook his head – and regretted it instantly because _OW!_ , then glanced at the alarm clock again, tensing when he saw that it was already 11.30. How could he have overslept like this? He'd never overslept in his life. 

He licked his lips and reached for his phone, dialling the reception number of the law firm to 'call in sick', as Zayn had told him to. He patted his fingers on his thigh as he waited for Eleanor, the receptionist, to pick up, already thinking about what he was going to say, because he liked to be prepared.

"Yeah, hello?" 

Liam's brows shot up because that was _definitely_ not how you were supposed to answer the phone of a renowned law firm – and also, the person on the phone was _definitely_ not Eleanor. Liam frowned. 

"Louis? Why on earth are you answering Eleanor's phone?"

"Well, well, if it isn't Liam! Good to hear from you, mate!"

Liam rolled his eyes; the smirk was obvious in Louis's voice, and he sighed. "Yes, it's me."

"Fantastic," Louis said cheerfully. "Now, how may I help you, Mr. Payne? Can I take a message? Or we could chat a bit; whatever you fancy."

Liam held the phone away from his ear because Louis's voice was loud and obnoxious, and he could _still_ feel him smirking on the other end, and he wasn't in the mood for this. "No, I just wanted to say that I'm going to be late or that I won't come in at all. I'm not feeling well, so..."

"You're already late," Louis felt the need to point out. "Aw, sure, Liam, mate, no problem. Just come whenever you like. You practically run this place, so you should get to take some time off."

Then, Louis paused, but after a moment, he gasped. "Wait, you're not hung over, are you? ARE YOU? Oh my god, did you get laid?"

"I'm hanging up now," Liam said quickly because he couldn't lie to save his life, and he wasn't going to give Louis the satisfaction of admitting he had a hangover. Then he quickly ended the call, taking a breath. 

Zayn came back sometime later, carrying a tray with an amazing-looking breakfast. There was water, orange juice, coffee, pancakes, croissants and bagels. Liam raised a brow in surprise, wondering where Zayn had found all that food; he was pretty sure he hadn't had anything in the house the day before. 

Zayn seemed to see his clueless expression, and smiled. "I went to the store and bakery down the street. You have absolutely _nothing_. What do you _eat_?"

Liam shrugged. "Usually I eat out, considering I'm at work all day, so…"

Zayn nodded. "Makes sense, I guess. Anyway."

He set the tray down on Liam's lap and flopped down on the bed next to him. He took the aspirin and handed it to him, then uncapped the water bottle and gave that to him too. "Drink it. All of it. You'll feel better."

Liam did, gulping the water down thirstily, and then eyed the food hungrily. "Thanks, Zayn," he said after a moment, taking a bite off his croissant and giving him a smile. "I really appreciate this. You didn't have to do it, so… thank you."

Zayn smiled. "No problem, Liam. Anything for my best friend."

Liam returned the smile, then ate, surprised that he didn't feel hung over at all when he was done. 

He leaned back, rubbing his stomach, feeling full and satisfied. "God, that was good. I love breakfast but I usually skip it because I just don't have the necessary time in the morning, so… thank you. Again."

"It was my pleasure – seriously, Liam, don't worry about it. Maybe I should come and take care of you more often. But how are you feeling? Any better?"

Liam nodded. "Much better. I think I can go to work this afternoon, so… you don't have to stay any longer if you've got something better to do. Unless you want to stay, of course…"

Zayn was silent for a long moment, then looked at him. "Liam… I'm serious, when was the last time you just took some time to focus on yourself? I think you desperately need a little Liam-time, so… why don't you just stay here today and do something that isn't related to work? I mean, you've called the office, you told them you might not come at all; so why don't you just… stay here, relax, watch some telly and just… regain your strength? I'll even stay with you, if you want. I need to meet someone later, but I could cancel and hang out with you, if you don't want to stay on your own."

Liam bit his lip, then finished his coffee and shrugged. "I guess it's not a terrible idea," he admitted. "But you don't need to stay with me, really. If you have plans, then… don't cancel."

Zayn looked at him seriously, then nodded. "All right. But promise me you won't go to work today."

Liam sighed and rolled his eyes. "I promise."

Zayn eyed him suspiciously, then nodded. "Okay. Good. Then… maybe we can see each other this weekend? We could go out again? Maybe less booze than last night, but some dancing, some talking; just hanging out?"

Liam smiled. "That sounds great. I'd love that, Zayn. I'd like to try to be a better friend; I have no idea what's going on in _your_ life, so we're going to talk about that this weekend. I realize I haven't been around much lately."

"Yeah, you haven't. Which I get – you have an important job; you're trying to get somewhere in life, but… don't forget to let go a little sometimes, yeah? I don't want you to be burned out by the time you're thirty."

Liam gave him a smile. "Fair enough. I'll try to keep that in mind."

"Good," Zayn said, smiling back and getting up. "And I should go. Call me if you need anything, all right?"

"I will," Liam promised. He watched Zayn walk over to the mirror, run a hand through his hair and adjust his clothes a little. He waved goodbye to him as Zayn left, and slid down under the covers, sighing softly as he listened to the silence in his room. 

It had been so long since he'd spent some quality time on his own, that he wasn't even sure what to do with himself right now.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"You'll never guess who I spoke to earlier," Louis said as he entered Harry's office, still smirking over his phone conversation with Liam. He'd never seen the older man drink even a glass of champagne, so the fact that he was clearly hung over was kind of hilarious to him. 

Harry looked up at him curiously, and when the door was closed, Louis took a moment to just take Harry in. He looked beyond beautiful.

Then he blinked and walked over to Harry, hopping onto his desk and grinning. "Liam. And guess what? Mr. Never-Drinks-Anything is hung over. Ha!"

Harry leaned back and grinned. "Seriously? I can't imagine him drunk. He's so serious and responsible all the time… did he say he was?"

Louis shrugged. "Well, no. But I asked him and he hung up on me, so that kind of gave him away. He can't lie, you see, so he tries to avoid getting himself into situations where he _has_ to lie, so… Besides, he called in sick, which he never does, so it must be bad. One time, he could barely breathe because of a really bad cold he had, and he still showed up at 7.30 in the morning and stayed all day. That's commitment. But something – or someone, who knows? Maybe dear Liam got laid as well! – made him stay home today."

Harry smiled. "Well, good for him. He seems to overwork himself, so… good that he's getting a bit of a break."

Louis looked at him and smiled. "Yeah," he said. Then he reached for Harry's hand. "Come here."

Harry got to his feet and let Louis tug him over; Louis spread his legs and pulled Harry close, so he was sort of standing between his legs while Louis was still on the desk. He smiled at Harry, then leaned in and kissed him gently; since Liam was the only one who occasionally barged into Harry's office, he was pretty sure it was safe to kiss for a little while without being caught by anyone. 

He tilted his head and deepened the kiss slowly, sliding his tongue into Harry's mouth and moaning when he felt Harry's hands on his hips. He wrapped his own around him, and couldn't stop himself from sliding one of them under Harry's shirt, stroking his soft skin and warm back gently. 

When Harry drew back and broke the kiss, he was breathing heavily. "Take me home tonight," he whispered. 

Louis's eyes opened instantly and he looked at Harry searchingly. "What?"

"Take me home tonight," Harry repeated, looking into his eyes. "We don't have to do anything, if you don't want to, but I want to see where you live, and I want to go to a place where we can just make out without worrying who sees us or where… it leads."

Louis had to admit that Harry presented some good points; it did get rather heated between them and it would be easy to get carried away… which obviously couldn't happen in public. So maybe Harry's idea wasn't entirely bad. In fact, it wasn't bad at all; Louis just knew that if they ended up in bed together, he wouldn't be able to stop himself and could possibly do something Harry might regret later. 

He took a breath and nodded. "Okay. If you're sure…"

Harry nodded. "I am. I'm completely sure."

Then Harry kissed him again, giving him a taste of what he could expect tonight, and Louis's cock twitched. 

If this was any indication, tonight would be really, really spectacular…


	9. Chapter 9

That evening, Harry and Louis left work together. People had already picked up on the fact that they were getting along well, and apart from Liam, no one would ask questions. And since Liam wasn't there, they had nothing to worry about. 

Not holding Louis's hand right away, though, turned out to be a little difficult – but Harry managed to keep his hands in his pockets as they made their way to the lift. They passed the reception area, and Harry would've almost overlooked the pretty receptionist if she hadn't waved at Louis. 

"Bye, Lou." He voice was almost a purr; silky-smooth and definitely seductive. 

Harry blinked and looked at Louis, watching his face as he turned around, walking backwards as he returned the young woman's wave. "Bye, El. Have a nice evening." He smiled charmingly, then turned back around to walk beside Harry. 

Harry couldn't keep a small frown off his face; there was something about the way the two of them talked to each other that made him a little uneasy, and when they were in the elevator – alone, fortunately – he hooked his arm through Louis's and held it possessively. 

Yes, he was jealous. So what?

He noticed Louis's look at him, and gave him an innocent smile. Louis raised a brow, but returned the smile, turning to him and kissing his forehead lightly. "Do you want to eat something at my place? I can't cook, but I'd love to give it a try for you…"

Harry's brows shot up, Eleanor the receptionist forgotten right away. "You would cook for me, even though you _can't_ cook? That's so sweet!"

Louis smiled. "Well, I don't think I'm completely hopeless. I've just never really tried. I've watched my mum cook, though, so I think I could make us something nice. Something like pasta or an omelette, or… I don't know. What are you in the mood for?" He paused. "Also, I _am_ sweet."

The elevator arrived on the ground floor, and Louis led him outside, where Harry pondered Louis's question. "I don't know – we don't have to eat anything fancy. You don't have to cook a huge meal for me or anything; I'd be totally okay with pizza."

Louis eyed him. "We had pizza yesterday."

Harry shrugged. "So?"

Louis chuckled and wrapped an arm around him, pressing a kiss to his temple; then he seemed to remember that they were in public and reluctantly let go. "Let's leave, all right?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. Let's."

They started walking in silence, and only when they'd brought a safe distance between them and their work place did Louis reach for Harry's hand. Harry's face lit up instantly and he squeezed Louis's hand gently, giving him a smile. 

He was a little nervous; he couldn't deny that. He'd never had a boyfriend before – and he wasn't even really sure if Louis actually _was_ his boyfriend already – and he barely had any experience when it came to sex, so… yeah. He was definitely nervous. 

But more excited. 

Whatever was going to happen, he was ready for it. He'd been thinking so much about being with Louis that he couldn't wait for them to finally be alone in a place with a bed, even though the thought alone made him blush. He wasn't sure if he was ready to go all the way just yet; but maybe they could touch a little; get naked. 

Harry really wanted that. He couldn't wait to find out how amazing Louis looked without any clothes on. Harry was going to remove them slowly; make sure to explore every inch of the other boy's body as he undressed him…

"You okay there? You look a little flustered."

Harry's head shot up and he looked at Louis, blushing even more when he realized what he must've looked like. Whenever he thought about Louis, especially naked Louis, he tended to drool a little and get this dreamy expression… it wasn't pretty. 

"I'm not," he lied; he was a bad liar. He and Liam had that in common. 

"Hmmm," Louis said, still watching him, and Harry sighed. 

"Fine, I was imagining you naked," he admitted, and was pretty sure that his face couldn't get any redder. 

Louis's soft laugh made him smile, though, and he shrugged, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Oh, don't be. You're not the only one thinking about this."

Louis gave him a smile and his hand a squeeze, then stopped when they arrived in front of a nice-looking building. "This is where I live," he explained as he fumbled for his keys and unlocked the door. 

Harry followed him inside, his heart speeding up as they made their way up the stairs and to a second door that led to Louis's flat. Harry licked his lips and looked around while Louis unlocked the door, and took a deep, hopefully calming breath as he followed Louis inside. 

The first thing he noticed was that Louis had great taste. Which wasn't really surprising, considering the way he dressed. He was a classy guy. 

He was busy taking in his surroundings, then gave Louis a smile when the other boy turned to face him. "Do you want to run yet?"

Harry raised a brow and snorted. "No. I don't think I ever want to run away from you. But… I like it. I like it a lot. It's very you."

He smiled and looked at some of the pictures on the wall. "Are these your sisters?"

Louis nodded and stepped behind Harry to tell him their names and ages and a few random facts about them. It was obvious that he adored his family and missed them a lot. Harry had a hard time focusing, though, because Louis was standing really, really close to him, and he could feel his warm breath on his neck, which wasn't helping at all. 

He took a shaky breath and leaned against Louis a little, biting his lip when Louis stopped talking. A moment later, he felt Louis's hands on his hips, and swallowed hard. 

Louis's lips brushed his neck, and Harry's eyes fluttered closed; he tilted his head to the side to give him better access, and let out an involuntary moan. 

"Do you want a tour?" Louis whispered, breath ghosting over Harry's skin; a sensation which went straight to Harry's cock. 

He bit his lip and swallowed hard. "Can we start with the bedroom?" he whispered, smiling a little when he heard Louis's sharp intake of breath. 

"Yeah," Louis murmured. "Yeah, we definitely can."

He turned Harry around in his arms and looked into his eyes. "I'm going to ask you one more time. Are you sure about this? We can just snuggle in front of the telly and eat something, and talk… make out a little…"

Harry licked his lips and looked into his eyes. 

Then he hesitated. 

Was he truly ready for this? He may think he was, but he'd only known Louis for a few days, really – was this really a good idea?

He glanced at Louis's lips and took a step forward, wrapping his arms around Louis's neck and pressing their lips together in a soft kiss. "I'm sure," he whispered, his stomach fluttering when Louis's eyes darkened at his words and his arms tightened around him. 

He let out a soft little whimper when Louis pressed their hips together; he could clearly feel Louis's erection and his breath quickened. His hands were clammy and sweaty, and he could barely breathe when Louis took his wrist and led him to the bedroom. He wasn't even sure what exactly was going to happen, but the prospect of seeing Louis naked almost made him cream his pants. 

Now _that_ would be embarrassing. 

He took a deep breath when they reached the bedroom, which was nice and spacious with a queen-sized bed with nice cream-coloured sheets. 

Harry stared at them for a long moment, then blinked when he felt Louis's fingertips under his chin, tilting his face up to his. He gave him a shaky smile. 

"Harry," Louis whispered, seeming to doubt that Harry was truly ready for whatever was about to happen. 

"Don't," Harry murmured. "I'm okay."

To prove his point, he cupped Louis's cheeks gently and kissed him hard, his eyes closing of their own accord as he tugged Louis to the bed. He stumbled a little and fell onto the bed and stared up at Louis who was looking down at him hungrily. 

Harry swallowed hard. 

Louis stayed there, then reached up and slowly started unbuttoning his shirt. Harry's eyes widened a little and he watched him intently, eyes travelling over Louis's chest as it was slowly exposed. The shirt hit the floor a moment later, and Harry sucked in a breath as he took in Louis's body. He was beyond gorgeous, with the little bit of chest hair and that tiny tummy… He wanted to lick it.

He watched Louis's hand move down to his trousers and his eyes widened comically when Louis dropped them a second later, revealing his very obvious – yet still clothed – erection. 

"Fuck," Harry breathed before he could stop himself – his eyes were still fastened on Louis's crotch, and did he only imagine it, or did Louis really twitch a little when he used the word 'fuck'? He would have to keep that in mind…

He glanced up and met Louis's eyes, smiling a little when he saw the faint tint of pink on Louis's cheeks. He'd never made the other man blush before…

He didn't have the time to ponder this further because Louis was climbing onto the bed, on top of him, and a moment later, his lips brushed Harry's collarbone. Harry fell back against the pillow and moaned softly, ready to let Louis have whatever he wanted. He was so infatuated with this man that he honestly didn't care that they didn't know each other all that well yet; there was a connection between them, and Harry just knew that giving himself to Louis was the right thing to do and that he would never regret it, even if, in the end, they didn't work out. 

He hoped that wouldn't happen, though; just the thought of being without Louis scared him. 

He licked his lips when he felt Louis's fingers work on the buttons of his shirt, and opened his eyes to watch Louis's face; wanting to see his reaction. Louis's eyes were still incredibly dark, and he looked like he definitely approved of what he saw. 

After a moment, Louis's brows shot up, and Harry looked at him worriedly. 

"Are those…"

Louis was staring at his chest, and Harry glanced down, then had to laugh. "Yep. Four nipples. I should've warned you."

Louis laughed and leaned forward to press his face into Harry's stomach. Then he glanced up, his usually so perfect hair already a little messy. "You really are something special, aren't you?"

Harry looked down at him with a smile and shrugged a little; then his eyes widened when Louis leaned forward to wrap his lips against one of his nipples – one of the two regular ones. Harry's eyes fluttered closed and he let his head fall back, moaning. "Ohh…"

Louis sucked on his nipple, then moved to the next one after a while; making sure to give all four of them the same attention. 

Harry's trousers were getting uncomfortably tight; his nipples were incredibly sensitive, and what Louis was doing to them felt amazing. Harry reached down, sliding his fingers into Louis's hair and tugging lightly, his mouth hanging open a little as he breathed heavily. 

Louis's lips made their way down to his stomach, sucking on it lightly, then harder; probably enough to leave a bruise. Harry didn't care; he wanted to be marked. He wanted everyone to know that he belonged to this man – even though no one would probably see this. He felt the older boy graze his teeth over his skin, and gasped when Louis's tongue flicked out to follow his happy trail down to the waistband of his pants. 

Then, Louis's hand started rubbing his thigh gently, and Harry whimpered helplessly. 

Louis's hand moved up to cup the bulge between his legs, and Harry felt his hips jerk up of their own accord as he came hard and suddenly. The moment he realized what had happened, he groaned in frustration and rolled onto his side, almost hitting Louis in the face with his foot. He buried his familiarly warm face in the pillow and tried not to cry. 

How fucking _embarrassing_! 

Of all the things that could've happened, his body had decided to betray him like this? Now Louis would realize how young and inexperienced he was – and why would he want to date someone who couldn't even _come_ at the right moment?

"I'm sorry," he groaned, feeling completely humiliated. 

"Harry," Louis said softly, and Harry could hear the smile in his voice, but he was too embarrassed to even look at him right now. "Harry, come on, it's okay."

He felt Louis get off him, and for a scarily long moment, he was afraid that Louis was going to leave and never want to see him again. 

But… well, that was a little silly, wasn't it? This was Louis's flat; of course he wasn't just going to _leave_. 

A moment later, he felt Louis behind him, and his stomach fluttered when Louis's arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him close. He felt Louis's lips on his neck and shoulder and sighed softly, unconsciously leaning into the touch, wanting more. 

"You don't have to be embarrassed," Louis whispered. "I know you're younger than me and have less experience; there really is no reason for you to be embarrassed by this. On the contrary; how proud do you think I am right now, that even the lightest touch can make you feel this way, hmm?"

He nosed Harry's ear, and Harry shivered. 

He took a breath; he was still embarrassed, but Louis did have a point. He licked his lips and slid his hands down, covering Louis's and leaning back against him a little. "I'm still sorry. I thought this would be this amazing, mind-blowing event, and now it's all over…"

Louis made a soft sound and sucked on Harry's earlobe. "It's not over," he murmured, his voice low. "It's far from over, Harry."

Harry blinked and swallowed hard when he felt Louis's hand move down to his hip and squeeze it a little. Then, Louis unbuttoned and unzipped his trousers and slid his hand inside. He started rubbing Harry's cock through his boxers and Harry gasped, jerking forward in surprise. 

Louis smiled against his neck and continued stroking him slowly, making Harry shiver. It didn't take more than a few seconds before he felt himself harden again, and knew that this time, he was going to last a little longer. 

He licked his lips and turned his head a little, then moaned when Louis slid his hand inside his boxers and wrapped his hand around his cock. 

Harry moaned. Of course he touched himself – pretty much every night, and multiple times a day since he'd met Louis. But he'd never been touched by someone else before, and Louis's hand felt beyond amazing. 

He gasped when Louis's fingers tightened around his cock, then Harry decided that it was his turn. 

He reached behind himself and slid his hand between Louis's legs, and almost came again when he felt how hard and hot Louis felt. And Louis's soft hum at the first brush of his hand on his erection drove him crazy too. 

Harry slid his hand into Louis's boxers as well and started stroking him – a little clumsily because the position was a little awkward, but it didn't matter because this was perfect. 

Then, Louis pushed himself up a little and leaned over him, kissing Harry passionately. Harry moaned into his mouth and arched up to return the kiss and kept moving his hand on Louis until his wrist literally cramped a little. 

He groaned and rolled over to face Louis, then practically threw himself at him, climbing on top of him and kissing him deeply, rubbing against him almost desperately. Louis moaned and Harry gasped at the feel of his erection pressed against Louis's; the friction was better than anything he'd ever felt before.

He felt Louis's hands on his back, stroking up and down; then one of them moved down to the curve of his ass, tugging his boxers down and stroking his bare ass gently. Harry whimpered and kept moving his hips against Louis's, thrusting helplessly, and staring down into his eyes when the kiss broke. 

Louis's eyes were half-lidded, his lips parted, red and slightly puffy, and he looked like a fucking sex god with his messy hair and flushed cheeks. Harry watched him intently, slowing the moves of his hips down automatically and grinding against him harder. Then he leaned in and sucked on Louis's bottom lip, watching his face in fascination when Louis's brow furrowed and he let out a soft little gasp. He arched up against him, fingers digging into Harry's ass as he came, Harry's name on his lips. 

Hearing Louis moan his name with that raspy, strained voice was enough to send Harry over the edge a second time, his hips slowing down, then stilling when the waves of pleasure stopped washing over him. He collapsed on top of Louis, panting into his neck, his whole body shaking. 

They were silent for a long moment; the only sound in the room their combined breathing.

Louis was the first one to find his voice, and let out a breathless laugh. "Wow," he murmured. "That was… yeah."

Harry grinned and nuzzled him, kissing his chin lightly. "Yeah good or yeah bad?"

Louis raised a brow. "Do you have to ask?"

Harry grinned. "Always better to ask, right?"

He nuzzled him and kissed his jaw, then sighed happily. 

They lay there in silence for a while and Harry almost fell asleep because Louis was stroking his curls again, and it felt so amazing and gentle that it almost lulled him to sleep.

Louis's voice was soft when he said, "Harry?"

"Hmm?" Harry murmured, pressing a kiss against Louis's collarbone. 

"I kind of adore you," Louis murmured so softly that Harry almost didn't catch it. 

But he did, and lifted his head, looking at Louis through thick curls. Then he smiled tiredly and nuzzled him. "I kind of adore you too, boobear." The probably ridiculous pet name slipped out and he didn't even realize he'd said it; all he could see was the adoring look on Louis's face as he gazed down at him. 

He looked into Louis's eyes for a long moment, kissed him lovingly, then placed his head back down on Louis's shoulder before he could see the other boy's wide, happy smile. 

Only a few seconds later, Harry fell asleep, sticky and sweaty, and he didn't give a damn because he was exactly where he wanted to be.


	10. Chapter 10

During his day alone at home, Liam had rediscovered his love for television. He had never been someone who could sit on his couch for hours, turn off his brain and just stare at a screen, but before he'd decided to study law and start working for Mr. Styles, he had watched certain TV shows, like Friends for instance, almost religiously. But after that, he'd become so busy with his studies and work that he just hadn't had the time to watch anything, and he'd wanted to spend the few moments he had to himself either outside, getting some fresh air, or doing something useful. 

That day, however, he'd ended up watching a few random and extremely silly talk shows and soap operas during the day, and in the evening, had decided to give "Law & Order" a try; he'd never been home to see an episode before. At first, it had been okay and he'd been able to look past the differences between real life and fiction, but in the end, he'd literally yelled at his TV screen because some scenes were just ridiculous. 

Finally, he'd switched the channel and had watched the news instead, and fallen asleep during the sports segment. 

He was still on his sofa, curled around a pillow and asleep, when his phone pulled him out of an amazing dream, and he jumped up, looking around wildly. Feeling disoriented for a little while, he finally located his mobile phone, picking up as soon as he'd figured out where the right button was. 

"Payne?" he murmured, rubbing his eyes. If this was Zayn, he was going to _kill_ him. 

But it wasn't Zayn. 

It was Mr. Styles.

"It's 2 am and my son isn't home. I've tried his phone about ten thousand times, called his friends, but no one knows where he is. Is he with you?"

Liam's brows shot up and he blinked, and before he could stop himself, he asked, "Why would he be with me?"

He was pretty sure the sound the other man made could be considered a growl, and he licked his lips. "Um, sorry. I just… no, he isn't here."

"Well, find him and bring him home then," Mr. Styles barked, and Liam opened his mouth to protest, but then changed his mind. This was his boss; he couldn't just snap at him. And while knowing where Harry was after work was not part of his job description, Liam figured that maybe this would gain him a few extra points and would make Mr. Styles consider a promotion sooner rather than later. 

He licked his lips. "I'll do my best… it's late, though – should I keep him here when I find him?"

"Yes, fine, whatever. Just find him. Goodnight. And…" The next words seemed to be hard for the other man for he made a brief pause before he added, "Thank you."

Then he hung up, and Liam stared at the phone, shaking his head. This was definitely the last person he'd expected to call him at 2 am. 

He sighed, mourning his beautiful, peaceful dream for a moment, then tried Harry's mobile phone again – but no answer. He lowered his phone and thought about where Harry could possibly be. He didn't know anything about Harry's private life, and if his father had already contacted all of his friends – where could he be? How was Liam supposed to know where he was?

Then he remembered that Harry and Louis were quite close; that they'd formed a bit of a friendship since Harry had started working at the law firm on Monday, so maybe _he_ knew something about Harry's whereabouts. Louis was literally the only person Liam could think of; his last hope of finding Harry – which was scary. Louis was… well, he was _Louis_. 

He rubbed the back of his neck as he tried Louis's mobile phone as well; then his home phone, but didn't get an answer there either. 

He sighed, leaning back for a moment. He didn't want to alarm the police when Harry was probably just out drinking with his friends, and while part of him _was_ a little worried about his young protégé, he wasn't quite desperate enough to take any drastic measures. Not yet anyway.

He pushed himself up and pulled on a jacket and shoes, then left his flat sometime later, wearing only his pyjamas and trainers. Louis didn't live that far away from him, and at this time of night, you rarely ran into anyone in their area of town, so he didn't worry about anyone seeing him like this.

He got to Louis's flat in less than five minutes and rang the doorbell.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"What?" Louis snapped, sitting up when the doorbell rang for the third time. Who the fuck visited him in the middle of the night?

He rubbed his eyes and glared into the darkness, then glanced down and his features softened when he saw Harry, slowly waking up, looking adorable and very, very naked. 

He sighed. 

He was pulled out of his reverie when the doorbell rang _again_ , and he cursed under his breath as he left the bedroom and went to the entry phone in the hall. "What?" he snapped, listening intently. If this was some drunk asshole playing a prank on him, he was going to go downstairs to kick his ass. 

"It's Liam," came a tired voice from the machine, and Louis's brows shot up in surprise. 

That was unexpected.

"Liam? Are you sleepwalking? What the hell are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

Liam sighed heavily. "Just let me in – I'm looking for Harry."

Louis let go of the button in surprise and took a step back, feeling panic crawling up his neck. His back hit the wall and he swallowed hard. 

Liam was looking for Harry – Liam was looking for Harry _here_. He _knew_. How did he know? Had Eleanor told him something, or…?

He shook his head. No, impossible. Eleanor didn't know anything. 

He took a breath, then pressed the button that would open the door and quickly returned to the bedroom to pull on his clothes from last night. 

Then he glanced at Harry, who was sitting on his bed, the sheets wrapped around him, and couldn't help but smile at the adorable display. 

"Hmmm?" Harry murmured, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

"It's 2 am, Harry, and Liam's here, looking for you."

Harry's eyes widened and he gasped. "Fuck! 2 am? How did that happen? And Liam's looking for me… oh shit, my father must've called him. I'm in so much trouble!"

He jumped out of bed and tugged on his own clothes, just when the upstairs doorbell rang, announcing that Liam had arrived. 

"Hey," Louis said softly. "Calm down; it's okay. Liam doesn't sound angry, so… get dressed, and then come out, yeah?"

He kissed his temple, then walked past him and went to open the door; his brows shooting up when he saw Liam standing there, wearing a leather jacket, Converse trainers and… Toy Story pyjamas. They were bright green and had Woody and Buzz on them.

Even though the situation was pretty serious, Louis couldn't hold back a laugh. "What are you _wearing_?"

Liam rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut it, you git. It was a gift," Liam said, but his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Can I come in?"

Louis nodded. "Sure, sure."

He snorted as he looked Liam over, terribly amused by his outfit. 

When Liam was inside, he closed the door and looked at the other man, about to inform him that Harry was, indeed, here, when Harry came up behind him and told him himself. 

"Hey Liam – I'm so sorry."

Liam looked surprised to actually see Harry here, Louis noted, which made him relax a little. So obviously Liam didn't know anything about them. Good. 

"Oh – I didn't expect you to be here… why are you here?" Liam frowned, looking at both of them.

Harry opened his mouth, but knowing that the younger boy was a bad liar, Louis jumped in. "We hung out together tonight," he explained – it wasn't even really a lie. It wasn't like he had to tell Liam every detail about their evening together. "We cooked and watched some telly, and must've fallen asleep… I'm sorry. Is Styles mad?"

Liam sighed. "You could say that. He was definitely not pleased. I promised I'd find Harry and take him home with me for the night – I'm glad you're here, harry, 'cause if you weren't, I wouldn't have known where you were and would've had to go to the police."

Harry's eyes widened at that. "Oh, that wouldn't be necessary – I'm always safe. I just fell asleep, or I would've been home ages ago." 

He nibbled his lip, and Louis looked between the two, thinking. "Well, you don't have to take him back to your place, if it bothers you. I have more than enough room for both of us, so he might as well spend the night here," Louis suggested, not keen on letting Harry go. He caught Harry's little smile, and winked at him when Liam rubbed his eyes. 

"I'd rather take him home, Louis, sorry. I know you two have some sort of friendship, but I'm responsible for Harry tonight, so I'd rather have him where I can see him, you know?"

Louis didn't like that, but had to admit that Liam had a point. He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Makes sense…"

He bit his lip hard. "Are you going to tell his father about this?"

He didn't want to sound nervous, but he was. Because if Styles found out that Harry had spent the night here with him, it would definitely have some repercussions on the man's opinion about Louis. And since he wasn't _that_ popular with the old man in the first place, he really didn't want to give him any more reasons to dislike him. 

Liam studied him for a moment, then shook his head. "No. I don't see a reason to do that. I'll just say… I don't know. I'll think of something."

"You could say that I fell asleep at the office," Harry suggested, his tone hopeful. "That wouldn't get me in trouble, would it?"

Liam shook his head. "Probably not. So I guess we'll go with that, yeah."

He smiled. "You ready to go?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, in a second."

Liam nodded. "I'll wait for you outside."

As he exited the flat, Louis grabbed his wrist. "Hey, Liam? This isn't okay. He can't just make you get up in the middle of the night to look for his kid, and you can't just keep saying yes to everything he asks you to do. You need to learn to stand up for yourself."

He looked at Liam seriously. He'd known the other man for about a year now, and he'd been meaning to tell him this for a long time. 

Liam shrugged. "I know. I know you're right," he sighed. "It's just not always as easy as it sounds."

He gave him a little smile; then Louis watched him get into the elevator and go back downstairs. 

He sighed, then turned back to Harry, who was ready to go. "I'm so sorry," he said softly, touching Harry's hips and pulling him closer. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

Harry shook his head. "It's fine; it's not your fault. I was just so comfortable…"

Louis nodded. "Yeah, so was I. Well… I guess this is goodnight then. You shouldn't keep him waiting."

He touched Harry's cheek gently, smoothing a curl between his index and thumb, and leaned in to press a light kiss to his nose. "Night, babycakes."

He smiled, and Harry smiled back. "Night, boobear."

He leaned against Louis for a few seconds, nuzzling him, then got into the elevator as well, and followed Liam downstairs. 

Louis stared at the closed doors of the lift for a long moment and shook his head. 

Boobear…

Finally, he snapped out of his trance, closed the door and went back to bed, burying his nose in the pillow Harry had slept on. 

It still smelled like him…

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Back at his place, Liam made sure to send Harry's father a text, so he knew his son was all right, then showed Harry to the guestroom. He handed him a couple of towels and a spare toothbrush, then left him to his own devices, and went to bed. 

He fell back asleep rather soon, but after only an hour and a half, his full bladder woke him up again. He rolled onto his back and sighed, contemplating just holding it in till the morning, but knew that he wouldn't fall asleep when he needed to pee that badly. 

Groaning, he rolled out of bed and made his way to the bathroom, and was about to reach for the doorknob when the door opened and Harry came out. 

Liam jumped a step back in surprise and stared. 

Harry was naked. Well, almost naked. He was wearing his boxers – and his socks, oddly – but his torso was bare, his expression sleepy and his curls sticking up in every direction. And for a long moment, Liam was stunned into silence and just stared. 

Harry rubbed his eyes and gave him a little smile. "Sorry. Drank lots. Night, Liam."

Then he shuffled back to the guestroom and disappeared into the darkness. 

Liam swallowed hard, and went into the bathroom, locking his door. 

He slowly looked down and realized with great despair that he was hard. His erection was very obvious, tenting his pyjama bottoms, and he instantly felt _so_ guilty because he knew that the reason for his current state was Harry. 

Dear God, help him, he was turned on by a sixteen year old child's (admittedly very defined and adult-looking) body.

He licked his lips and pressed down on his cock with the palm of his hand, feeling ridiculously guilty and wrong. 

What he wanted to do was release some tension, touch himself and come, but he knew that wasn't an option. He wouldn't be able to look at Harry again if he did that; his body's reaction alone would be enough to probably make him blush whenever he had to meet Harry's eyes. So he guiltily reached for a washcloth, ran some cold water over it and shoved it down his pants, wrapping the cold cloth around his cock. It took a moment, but eventually, it went down, and Liam let out a sigh of relief. 

Then he sat down on the toilet to pee, and buried his face in his hands, feeling mortified.

He knew Harry hadn't seen his erection, or he would've probably been shocked or made some sort of comment – but that didn't change the fact that it had happened, and that Liam would probably never forget about the incident. He felt like a terribly bad mentor. 

He rubbed his face slowly and swallowed hard, then made his way back to bed when he was done, and stared at the ceiling, suddenly wide awake.

He tried to think of something that _wasn't_ Harry's body, but it was hard to focus on anything else now. It was like seeing Harry half-naked had flipped the sex switch inside his brain, and while he had barely even thought about anything sexual for _months_ , he suddenly couldn't think of anything else. 

He tossed and turned restlessly for the rest of the night, and was relieved when the first rays of the sun fell through his window, announcing that it was time to get up, and giving him something productive to focus on. 

All of this showed him, though, that Zayn did have a point. 

Liam needed to get laid – and soon.


	11. Chapter 11

"Morning… wow, is this all for me?"

Harry stood in the doorway that led to Liam's kitchen, and stared at the breakfast table in wonder. He rubbed the back of his neck as he took everything in and smiled at Liam when he looked up. 

"Well, for both of us," Liam said. "If you're hungry. I don't usually eat anything in the morning, but since we're both up early, I figured we could? Unless you don't want to; you don't have to feel obligated to eat something just because it's all there."

Liam glanced down, and Harry looked at him curiously; the other man seemed to have problems meeting his eyes this morning. Hmm. Maybehe was mad at him; Harry couldn't blame him. The previous night had been pretty… unusual.

He smiled. "No, I'd love some breakfast, thank you. It looks lovely."

Harry made his way over to the table and flopped down on a chair, pouring himself some coffee right away. He took a sip and tried to smile at Liam again, and this time, the other man returned it. 

Harry bit his lip. "I'm so sorry about last night."

Liam's cheeks flushed for some reason, and Harry wondered if Liam was feeling all right. He _had_ missed work the day before, so maybe he was still sick and had a fever or something? Hmm. 

Harry continued. "I mean, I'm sorry my dad threw you out of bed and made you come look for me – I really didn't mean to fall asleep at Louis's. I'll make sure it never happens again – promise."

Liam seemed to relax at that, and nodded. "It's fine, Harry. It's not your fault; I know that."

"Good," Harry breathed, giving him a sweet smile. "Still, it won't happen again."

Liam nodded and sat down across from him, and as they ate, Harry watched him thoughtfully. Something had definitely changed. He didn't know what it was, but Liam kept his eyes on his plate, and seemed a little tense. Either he was mad at him for what had happened the previous night, or it was something else. 

Harry bit his lip and tried not to read too much into it; it probably had nothing to do with him at all. Maybe it was the hangover Liam had had the night before; maybe he really _had_ hooked up with someone and the person he'd slept with hadn't called back? That was a possibility. 

Breakfast passed in relative silence, and Harry helped Liam clean up before they made their way to the office. Harry was nervous; first of all, he was wearing his clothes from last night, which didn't exactly make a good impression, and secondly… well, he would have to face his dad. He avoided talking to his father as much as possible, but today, it was kind of unavoidable. He just hoped his dad wouldn't yell at him, because in those cases, Harry had the tendency to start crying. 

He couldn't help it; it wasn't like he couldn't stand up to him, but the moment his dad raised his voice, Harry always had to fight his tears. It was frustrating, but hopefully, it wouldn't happen today.

It wasn't like he'd done anything wrong – in fact, this was by far not the first time he'd spent the night somewhere else without notifying his father. And this was the first time his dad had actually cared that he hadn't slept in his own bed – and part of Harry was kind of glad that his dad had noticed his disappearance. 

He still wasn't looking forward to talking to him, though. Not at all. 

They arrived at the office a short time later, and it must've been fate because they ran into his father – and Louis – the moment they stepped out of the elevator. There was an awkward silence for a moment before Harry took a breath and tried to smile tentatively at his father. "Hey dad – I'm really sorry about last night. I would've called you, but I fell asleep and I just… didn't hear the phone."

He bit his lip, and his dad looked up from a letter he was studying. "We don't need to discuss this right now, Harry. Just please let me know next time you plan on staying out all night, so that I don't get a heart attack when I find your bed empty and can't reach you anywhere, all right?"

He gave him a look that was almost kind and there was genuine concern in his eyes, and Harry could just stare for a moment or two. Then he nodded, swallowing hard. "I promise, dad," he said softly. 

His father nodded, turning back to his letter. "Payne, can I see you in my office in a minute?"

Liam licked his lips and nodded; then the three of them watched Harry's father walk away. 

"Huh," Harry murmured. "That went far better than I expected."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The rest of the morning and early afternoon were just as uneventful as his morning, so Harry decided to go for a little stroll through the office. Unsurprisingly, he ended up in front of Louis's door, and wondered if he was busy. Deciding that it didn't matter, he knocked twice before going inside, not waiting for Louis to ask him to. 

He found Louis sitting at his desk, looking delicious as always, and on the phone. When he noticed Harry, he gave him a smile and lifted a finger up to his lips to indicate him to be quiet. Harry nodded and closed the door behind him – and locked it, just in case. Then he slowly walked over to Louis's desk, watching him and listening to his voice as he spoke to whoever was on the other end. He had no idea what they were talking about, but it didn't matter. He just liked listening to Louis's voice. 

Their eyes met, and Harry gave Louis another smile, raising an eyebrow slowly and grinning when Louis looked him up and down appreciatively. He walked past the front of Louis's desk, trailing his fingers over various objects and the smooth wood of the table. 

Then he walked to the window and looked outside, and was very aware of Louis's eyes on him. He could tell the other boy was staring at his butt right now – which wasn't really surprising, considering how good his arse looked in these trousers. 

He moved his hips a little, then glanced over his shoulders, smirking when he actually caught Louis looking at him. 

It was nice to know that he had this effect on someone; especially because it was the person he fancied. 

He walked over to Louis, stepping behind him and resting his chin on top of Louis's head. Then he buried his face in his hair and breathed him in, sighing softly because Louis smelled so good… 

He ran his fingers through Louis's hair and stroked the back of his neck, then slowly trailed his hands down his shoulders and chest. He heard Louis's breath hitch lightly, and had to grin. He was obviously enjoying this.

And then, something occurred to him and he wondered if Louis would be mad at him if he actually did it. His heart started beating faster; this was a _bold_ move, and probably a stupid idea, but now that he had the thought in his head, he couldn't get it out without doing anything about it.

He kept a hand on Louis as he walked around his chair and turned said chair to face the window; Louis's back to the door. He looked down at Louis and smiled sweetly, then got onto his knees in front of him, spread Louis's legs a little and slid his hands up his thighs. 

Louis's eyes widened and his tongue darted out to lick his lips. 

Harry just smirked and reached up to slowly unbutton Louis's trousers…

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Louis had a really hard time focusing on his client's voice in his ear because he was too busy staring at Harry. He had a feeling he'd fallen asleep and was dreaming this because it wasn't possible that Harry was actually doing what Louis _thought_ he was doing. Right?

Because by the looks of it, Harry was opening his pants and getting ready to suck him off, and – oh fuck, he really _was_ doing it. 

Harry had hooked his fingers under the waistband of his briefs, and raised a brow at Louis. Understanding, Louis lifted his arse enough for Harry to be able to tug his pants down over his hips. His cock was already hard and Louis licked his lips as his erection twitched in anticipation. He watched Harry intently. 

He knew he should try to end this conversation – or tell Harry to give him a minute, but neither was an option at the moment. The phone call was important and necessary because the client was going on vacation the next day; and Harry's lips just looked too delicious for Louis to stay no to him at this point. 

He watched Harry lean in and felt his warm breath on his cock. Louis closed his eyes and made an involuntary soft sound. 

"Mr. Tomlinson?"

"Yes," he managed. "Yes, I'm here. You were saying?"

The woman on the phone launched into another rant about her soon-to-be ex-husband, and Louis was grateful for her monologue because just then, Harry wrapped his large hand around his cock and started showering soft kisses over his erection. He pulled back the foreskin, revealing the head of Louis's erection, then leaned in and wrapped those plump, pink lips around it. 

Louis swallowed hard and covered his mouth with his hand, trying not to moan. This was going to be _hard_. Harry looked up at him with those huge, innocent eyes and gave him a mischievous little smile. Then he started sucking on his cock in earnest, his eyes fluttering closed. Louis watched him intently, swallowing hard when Harry's tongue brushed the sensitive underside of his cock. He watched Harry slowly take more of him into his mouth, and Louis had to look away and try to focus on the phone call. 

But Mrs. Smith was still ranting, so he switched his brain off and put the phone between his ear and shoulder, reaching down with his free hand to brush Harry's curls out of his face and watched him again. Harry's lashes fluttered against his flushed cheeks before he glanced up at him with intense green eyes. 

Louis was hypnotized and aware that his mouth was hanging open, but he couldn't help it. He'd never seen anything more beautiful than Harry at this exact moment. Seeing him with his lips around him was just… it was almost enough to make Louis come right then and there. 

When Harry finally started actually _sucking_ , Louis knew that he needed to end this phone call, or Mrs. Smith would get to hear some very strange noises that were definitely not appropriate for this kind of conversation. 

As if she was reading his mind, she told him she needed to leave, and Louis managed a strangled, "Bye," before slamming the phone onto his desk and letting out a moan. 

"Fuck, Harry," he breathed, leaning back in his chair and watching him. He watched Harry's cheeks hollow and swallowed hard as he brushed his fingers over Harry's cheekbone. 

His eyes drifted shut automatically but he forced them back open, not wanting to miss a single second of this. 

He bit his lip and moaned, then gasped in surprise when Harry suddenly _hummed_. It didn't take anything else; the vibrations going through his body sent Louis over the edge a second later. His hand tightened in Harry's curls and he didn't even have the time to warn Harry before his hips jerked up and he came. 

He watched Harry's eyes widen as he drew back, coughing a little, clearly caught off guard by Louis's sudden orgasm. A bit of come trickled down his chin, and Louis was panting, staring down at Harry in complete and utter fascination. 

He brushed his thumb over Harry's bottom lip, scooping up the bit of come that Harry hadn't managed to swallow, then groaned when Harry grabbed his hand and sucked his thumb into his mouth greedily.

"I love the way you taste," Harry whispered, his voice a little raspy, when he released Louis's hand. 

Louis just stared, shaking his head incredulously; then he tugged Harry up and onto his lap, and kissed him hard. He slid his hands over Harry's back and arse possessively, pulling him as close as he possibly could – and tasting himself on Harry's tongue was the most amazing thing he'd ever experienced in his life. 

When they were both breathless and had to draw back, he stared at the younger boy. "Tonight," he murmured, his own voice a little rough as well. "Tonight, you're coming home with me. Better tell your dad you're not coming home because… I need you, Harry."

Harry's face lit up and he looked between Louis's eyes and lips, nodding slowly. "I need you too," he whispered before crushing their lips together in another hard kiss that made Louis breathless all over again. 

Damn this boy…

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Only a few doors away, Liam didn't have a clue about the immoral activities going on in the other office. His own day had been far from uneventful. He had been extremely worried when he'd been called to the boss's office; he'd been sure that he would, for some reason, be criticized for the way he'd handled the Harry situation the night before; but he was completely wrong about that. 

In fact, he got promoted. 

He sat in his office all day, just staring at his computer, stunned. He had expected that it would happen someday; but definitely not this soon! And all because he was very observing, and had noticed that Harry and Louis were friends and figured that Louis might know where Harry was. 

Huh. 

He got no work done all day because he kept getting distracted, and had to get up and take a walk around the room, grinning from ear to ear because his hard work had finally paid out. 

There was no point in staying late tonight, so around five, Liam reached for his phone and called Zayn. He wanted to share the good news, and hoped that his best friend had time for him tonight.

"Zayn!" he exclaimed, the moment the man in question picked up his phone, unable to contain his glee anymore. 

"Uh… Liam?" Zayn sounded confused.

Liam sighed. "Yes, it's me. Who else could it possibly be?"

Zayn snorted. "I don't know, mate. Unlike you, I actually do have other friends who call me occasionally."

"Ha bloody ha," Liam sighed, but he wasn't really offended. He knew he himself would have more friends if he didn't spend so much time at the law firm. "Hey, guess what?"

"You finally got laid?" Zayn sounded thrilled until Liam denied it. "Dude, I thought you actually had something exciting to tell me."

"I do!" Liam protested, unable to keep the grin off his face. "I got a promotion today."

"Seriously?" He was relieved when Zayn still sounded happy for him. 

"Yeah, finally. I guess I finally did something right and now… well. Now I want to celebrate."

"We need to," Zayn agreed. "I'm invited to a party tonight, though, but…"

Liam's face fell a little and he was surprised that Zayn's rejection hit him as hard as it did. He shouldn't be surprised; he barely spent any time with his best friend, so he shouldn't be surprised that Zayn had other interests and friends, and obviously a very busy social life. "Oh. Okay," he said slowly. "Well, whenever you have time…"

Zayn lit a cigarette; Liam could hear him inhale the smoke. "Forget it – I still need a plus one for the party, so I'm going to take you. This is a big deal, and if you actually _want_ to leave the house for once, I'm not going to stand in your way. You're my date tonight then. I'm not sure the party is really your scene, but…"

"What do you mean, not my scene? I have no scene; everyone loves me, no matter where I go. I'm totally adjustable," Liam claimed, nodding. "But your date, huh?"

Zayn grinned. "Yep. My date."

Liam smiled, twirling the cord of the phone around his finger. "Okay then… do you want me to pick you up or meet there, or…"

"I'll pick you up," Zayn decided. "So be ready around nine, yeah?"

Liam nodded. "Sounds like a plan. See you then, Zayn."

"Yeah. Looking forward to it."

They hung up and Liam leaned back, smiling. 

Then he realized that he had no idea what one actually _wore_ to parties these days, and left the office a couple of minutes later to get ready. He had four hours, but with his lack of fashion knowledge, he would probably need them…

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Coming!" Liam called when the doorbell rang around nine o'clock, and he stumbled down the stairs. He was barely ready; having decided to do some shopping before coming home. He wasn't sure when he'd last bought clothes that weren't meant for work, so it was necessary to freshen up his wardrobe a little. After an hour of trying on outfits, he'd left the store with two pairs of jeans, one pair of simple grey trousers, three jumpers, two shirts and five t-shirts. 

So yes. It had been a necessary and fortunately very successful shopping trip.

He'd taken a long shower, shaved and brushed his teeth, then spiked his hair a little. He'd spent some time in front of the mirror, trying to decide whether he liked this or not. Then he'd gotten dressed, deciding to rethink his hair later, and had just chosen an outfit when Zayn had rung the doorbell. He'd quickly put something on and sprinted to the door, pausing before opening it in order to catch his breath.

But when he saw Zayn, he lost it again right away, because _damn_ , the other man looked _good_. 

Effortlessly. The bastard didn't even have to try to look good; he just did. 

He was wearing skinny jeans, a t-shirt with something that was probably a band logo on it, and a leather jacket. Boots and glasses completed his outfit, and… for a long moment, Liam was speechless. Had Zayn always been this good-looking?

He licked his lips, then blinked. "Hi!"

"Lookin' good, Liam," Zayn said approvingly, checking out his outfit. Liam looked down at himself and shrugged; in his jeans and plaid shirt, he looked pretty normal compared to Zayn. But that was to be expected, considering he was a lawyer, and Zayn was a model. There was bound to be a considerable difference between their appearances. 

He took a breath and smiled when he raised his head again. "So… ready to go?"

"Ready if you are."

Liam nodded. He grabbed his jacket, wallet, keys and cell phone, then left the house with Zayn, a little nervous about the party where he probably didn't know anyone but Zayn. It wasn't that he wasn't used to talk to strangers; he just hoped he would fit in. But with a little alcohol, anyone fit in, right?

He shook his head over himself, wondering when he'd turned into such an outgoing person.

But he had to admit that it felt kind of good to have an actual _life_ again.


	12. Chapter 12

Zayn had been right; the party was definitely not Liam's usual "scene". There was a lot of booze, a lot of smoke, and a lot of people he didn't know. Hipsters. He'd heard the word before but had never really understood its meaning until tonight. Or at least he thought these people could be called that. They were all nice, though, so that helped. Liam was willing to make an effort, maybe get to know a few of Zayn's friends and have fun. He deserved it. After working about fourteen hours a day for months, he deserved to let go a little and enjoy himself. 

And that's what he planned to do. 

He had to admit that he kind of liked that Zayn stayed by his side all the time. He'd expected him to go around and socialize, but Zayn always made sure Liam was okay before he went anywhere; even to the loo. It made Liam smile and realize that he really had a truly amazing friend there. That realization made him feel kind of awful, though, because he hadn't really spent much time with Zayn lately. He had to change something about the way he treated his friends; but maybe his promotion would allow him to work less and give him more time for his friends. Or friend. It wasn't like he had a huge social circle. 

At first, the thought of drinking alcohol after his last hangover made him feel a little queasy, but after a while, he let Zayn talk him into having a beer or two. And after that, the party was immediately more fun. They danced, talked to people – who intimidated Liam a little at first but turned out to be really all right – and were both having a good time. 

Hours passed and Liam was surprised it didn't get boring. Usually, he was the kind of guy who left a party after a couple of hours, but it was past midnight already and he had no plans of going anywhere. He was pleasantly buzzed; not really drunk, but tipsy enough to find just about anything hilariously funny. 

So when one of Zayn's friends suggested a drinking game, Liam was the one to yell, "Yeaaahhh!"

Zayn eyed him and laughed. "Liam, babe, are you drunk?"

Liam huffed and took another sip of beer. "Me? Never."

He grinned, then flopped down on the couch, patting the spot next to him for Zayn. Zayn smiled and shook his head over Liam's silliness, then sat down next to him. Liam leaned against him a little, his arm draped over the back of the couch, hand resting on Zayn's shoulder. He looked at his friend's profile for a moment; Zayn looked really good with those glasses. 

"Well, Liam," said one of Zayn's friends – Adam, if Liam was not mistaken. "If you're this enthusiastic about the game, why don't you start? I Never."

"Does anyone else find that game as confusing as I do?" Liam asked thoughtfully. "I always have to think for like, a minute before I know if I'm supposed to drink or not."

He shook his head; now was not the right time for deep thoughts. "Um… I never…"

He looked around and stopped when he saw Zayn light a cigarette. "I've never smoked a cigarette." He grinned, and leaned back. Zayn gave him a look, then reached for his glass and drank, as well as pretty much everyone else in the room.

Zayn was next. "I've never spent a whole night at work," he said, giving Liam a smirk. 

Liam raised a brow at him and sighed heavily, then took a sip of beer – and he was the only one. He shrugged. "Well, sorry for actually being dedicated to my job."

Zayn laughed and petted his hair. "It's okay, Leeyum. Most people here are models or don't have a job at all, so it's not really surprising that they don't work." He snorted when he got some dirty looks from a few of his friends. "I'm pretty sure you're the smartest and most hard-working person here, so don't worry about it."

He grinned, then leaned in, his warm breath ghosting over Liam's ear. "I like your new hair, by the way."

Liam shivered a little and glanced over at him, giving him a small smile. "Thanks. Thought I'd try something new."

Zayn nodded, looking into his eyes, then at his hair, running his fingers through it. "I like it. It works for you. It's sexy."

Liam blushed a little and smiled shakily, suddenly a little nervous at Zayn's proximity; then he took another sip of beer and took a deep breath. 

The next few I Nevers revealed that Liam had never broken the law, been so drunk that he'd puked all over himself or woken up next to a person he didn't know. It also revealed that Zayn, as well as the majority of his friends, had done _all_ of those things. Liam felt like he had some catching up to do before he could really fit in with this crowd. 

The game continued.

"I've never been attracted to a guy," said a girl with long black hair and purple streaks. Liam felt his cheeks heat up and took a sip; that was kind of undeniable, considering he'd definitely been attracted to Harry the other night – which was _still_ disturbing to even think about. And then there was the fact that he had a very good-looking best friend, of course, so… yeah. Liam had definitely had some fantasies.

He glanced over at Zayn who locked eyes with him as he took a sip as well. Liam swallowed hard and had to look away – Zayn's gaze was kind of intense and Liam tugged on the collar of his shirt, suddenly feeling hot. 

"I've never smoked weed," said the next person, and pretty much everyone drank. 

Zayn shifted and wrapped an arm around his neck, and Liam shivered again. "I think the more important question here is," Zayn said slowly, "who _has_ weed? Seriously, I can't believe no one's rolled a joint yet – it's already past midnight. At this point, we're usually all either drunk or stoned – or both."

"I have some," said the girl from before. "I'll get it."

She got up and left, and Liam felt Zayn's eyes on him when he finished his drink. When his bottle was empty, he looked over at Zayn, blinking when he realized how close the other man was. Their faces were so close that Liam could feel Zayn's breath on his face. 

"You're going to take a hit," Zayn informed him in a low voice. 

Liam swallowed hard. "Uh… I don't think so, Zayn, but thanks. I don't think I'd like it."

"How would you know if you've never tried?" Zayn murmured, fingers still playing with the hair at the back of Liam's neck. 

Liam licked his lips and shrugged. "I dunno," he murmured, unable to come up with a better explanation.

Zayn smiled slowly, glancing at Liam's lips intently – and for a moment, Liam honestly thought the other boy was going to lean in and kiss him. _Why_ he would think that Zayn actually wanted to kiss him, he didn't know. He was clearly more drunk than he'd thought. 

Zayn licked his own lips slowly, and Liam couldn't help following his tongue with his eyes. He blinked when Zayn looked back into his eyes, his heart beating a bit faster. 

"Well, see?" Zayn asked then, drawing back abruptly. "You're going to try."

Liam swallowed hard and half-nodded, half-shook his head, too confused to say anything. He licked his dry lips, then took a deep breath when the girl was back. He watched her roll a few joints expertly, then looked over at Zayn when he lit his. 

There was something incredibly sexual about the way Zayn put the joint between his lips and inhaled the smoke. Liam really didn't approve of smoking of any kind, but when Zayn did it… 

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at the empty beer bottle in his hand. 

He was about to ask if the game was over when Zayn tapped his shoulder. "Open your mouth, dude," he murmured into his ear. 

Liam frowned and looked over at him, eyes widening comically when Zayn leaned over and covered his mouth with his own. Liam was so surprised that he parted his lips automatically while his heart almost exploded – why was Zayn kissing him?

But he wasn't – a moment later, Liam realized what exactly Zayn was doing, and coughed when Zayn breathed the smoke into his mouth. He tried to inhale some of it, but because he was so stunned and had never done this before, he drew back after a second and coughed, blinking a few times because whoa – that was powerful stuff.

When he looked back at Zayn, his friend was smirking, and Liam just stared at him, his lips tingling where they'd been pressed against Zayn's. 

"See? It's all cool, man," Zayn murmured, handing him the joint. 

Normally, Liam would've said no, but something made him take the joint, put it to his lips and take a deep drag. He closed his eyes as he felt the effect of the drug wash over him right away, and exhaled slowly. He'd heard that you usually didn't feel anything when you smoked it for the first time, but that definitely wasn't true for him. Or maybe it was just this, mixed with the alcohol that made him feel this way. 

He leaned back and just stared up at the ceiling, trying to process everything. 

After a few more hits and some more beer, Liam felt amazing. His head was spinning a little and everything made him grin goofily, but he felt great. 

He watched Zayn, who was on his second joint and talking to a friend. Liam didn't like that his attention was focused on someone else, though, and nudged him lightly. "Hey. Hey Zayn. Zayn. Zayn, listen. Zaaayyynnn…"

"What?" 

When Zayn turned his head, Liam smiled. "Do that again."

Zayn raised an eyebrow at him, an amused grin on his full lips. Liam stared at those for a moment, unable not to. Then he focused. "That thing you did before."

Zayn frowned curiously, but his brows shot up when he realized that Liam meant shotgunning. A slow smirk appeared on his lips. "You liked that, didn't you? I knew my lips were irresistible."

He grinned while Liam rolled his eyes – though he had to admit that he really, really wanted Zayn's lips again. 

He watched Zayn as he took a deep hit, stubbed the joint out in an ashtray and turned to Liam. He got on his knees on the couch, then cupped the back of Liam's neck and leaned in to cover his lips with his own again, sharing the smoke with him. Liam's eyes fluttered closed, and this time, he was prepared for it and inhaled slowly. When he drew back, he released the smoke slowly, eyes locked with Zayn's. 

He licked his lips and stared at his friend for a long moment; looking from Zayn's eyes with those impossibly long and thick, dark lashes to the curve of his full lips; they were slightly wet, glistening in the dim light of the room. 

They looked kissable. 

And that was probably what prompted Liam to surprise himself and just about anyone else in the room as he reached up, cupped Zayn's cheeks and pulled him down into a long, hard kiss. Zayn sucked in a breath but then made a soft sound of approval, returning the kiss instantly. 

Liam's heart was racing as he gently brushed his lips over Zayn's, keeping a firm hold on the back of his neck to prevent Zayn from going anywhere. But Zayn didn't make any move to break the kiss. After a moment or two, Liam leaned back a little, then blinked when Zayn lost balance and landed on top of him. 

The kiss broke, and they just stared at each other for a second before their lips found each other again, and Zayn deepened the kiss. Liam moaned and his eyes fluttered closed, his arms coming up to wrap around Zayn's neck. He stroked his soft hair gently, then gasped when Zayn slipped his tongue into his mouth and kissed him fully. 

Liam was vaguely aware of the wolf-whistling and cheering going on around them but then closed his eyes and focused solely on the kiss. Zayn tasted like beer and weed; his lips were soft and gentle. 

They made out like horny teenagers for a long time, their bodies fitting together perfectly. Zayn's weight on top of him was comforting, and Liam couldn't keep his hands off him. 

At one point, he rolled off him, and for the rest of the evening, they were on their sides on the couch, barely any room between them, kissing slowly, wetly, their tongues tangling. It was the most sensual kiss Liam had ever experienced; yet at the same time, he didn't have the urge to take this any further. He was perfectly content to just go on kissing Zayn for the next few hours. 

Zayn's hand was in his hair; Liam's was resting on the small of Zayn's back, stroking his soft, warm skin gently, and Zayn kept making these soft little sounds that went straight to Liam's heart. He couldn't imagine anything more perfect than this. 

The room around them quieted down, and after a while, Zayn broke the kiss and rested his head on Liam's shoulder. Liam closed his eyes and stroked Zayn's hair while Zayn's breath tickled his neck. 

That's how he fell asleep sometime later, feeling perfectly content.


	13. Chapter 13

Harry was nervous as they made their way to Louis's place after work. Nervous and excited, because he knew that tonight would be the night. He'd done a lot of thinking and knew that he was ready now; ready to take that final step, to finally lose his virginity. 

The fact that he'd known the boy he was going to lose it to for not even a whole week, didn't matter to him at all. He knew Louis was the right person, and he trusted him implicitly. He knew Louis wouldn't hurt him; that he'd give him the time he needed to adjust, and that it would be perfect. 

They belonged together; Harry was sure of it.

When they entered Louis's flat, Harry wanted to make his way straight to Louis's bedroom, but Louis caught his wrist and tugged him back, looking into his eyes. "Hey, no hurry. It's Friday night; your dad knows you're not coming home… We have all night, babycakes; no need to jump straight into it."

He gave him a smile, and Harry blushed when he realized how eager he must've just looked. Louis was right, of course; there was no reason to rush. They had all night. 

They decided to watch a movie – The Notebook, which may be a sappy chick flick, but after browsing Louis's DVDs, they found out that they both loved it – with a glass of Merlot, and snuggle on the couch for a while. Louis sat down and Harry found a comfortable position, leaning against him, his head on Louis's shoulder. It was perfect, and he never wanted to move again. 

Harry managed to focus on the film for a while, but it didn't take long before he got distracted by Louis. His beauty, the way he smelled, the way he _breathed_ ; everything made Harry want to look at _him_ , rather than the screen, so after a while, he abandoned all pretence and just stared at Louis instead. 

The other boy didn't seem to notice right away; he was completely engulfed by the romantic scenes on the screen. Harry smiled as he watched him, then leaned in and started kissing Louis's neck gently. He brushed his lips over the older boy's warm skin, dragging his teeth over his neck and moving his lips up to his ear. He licked the shell of it gently, then sucked on his earlobe, smiling at the soft gasp that escaped Louis's lips. 

Louis made a soft sound, and when Harry drew back, he found Louis staring at him. Harry smiled a little, looking at Louis just as adoringly as he was looking back at him, their eyes locked. 

Louis's hand came up to brush a curl out of his face, and Harry's eyes fluttered closed at the gentle touch. A second later, he felt Louis's breath on his face as Louis kissed his cheek first, then slowly trailed light kisses over to his lips. Finally, he kissed him fully, and Harry let out an involuntary sound when he tilted his head, parting his lips to return the kiss. 

Louis's tongue brushed his bottom lip, demanding entrance, and Harry opened his mouth willingly, meeting Louis's tongue with his own. His lashes fluttered against his cheeks as he wrapped his arms around Louis, moaning shakily when Louis gently lowered him onto the couch until Harry was on his back and Louis was half on top of him. 

He ran his fingers through Louis's hair at the back of his neck, smoothing a soft, messy strand between his fingers, then slid his hand down the back of his neck and under Louis's shirt through the neck hole. 

He cupped the sides of Louis's neck then before trailing his hands down the other boy's sides, tugging his shirt out of his pants and stroking his warm back. Louis shifted on top of him until he was between his legs, and Harry's breath hitched; his hips jerking up when their bodies were aligned. 

"Harry," Louis whispered as he broke the kiss, showering Harry's face with soft butterfly kisses. He nosed his curls and breathed into his ear, making Harry's stomach flutter and his cock harden. He dug his fingers into Louis's back, holding onto him, his heart racing. 

"Need you," Harry whispered almost pleadingly; he couldn't remember ever being more turned on, ever wanting anything more than he wanted Louis this second. 

Louis made a soft sound of approval, then brushed his lips over Harry's neck and collarbone while one of his hands sneaked under Harry's t-shirt. Harry sucked in his stomach without even meaning to, and felt Louis smile against his skin. Louis's hand moved up his torso, and Harry's eyes flew open when he noticed Louis trailing a finger around his nipples – all four of them. 

He had seen him naked _once_ mean something. 

He allowed his eyes to close again as Louis rubbed his thumb over a nipple; it hardened under his touch. He dipped his tongue into the hollow between Harry's collarbones, and Harry leaned his head back, humming contentedly when Louis's tongue made its way up his throat. 

"Lou," he breathed, sliding his hands down to the waistband of Louis's trousers, trying to slip a hand inside, but failed because Louis's pants were too tight. He needed to touch more of him; his clothes needed to _go_. 

Louis seemed to sense his need because he drew back and sat up, straddling Harry's thighs. Harry licked his lips and watched Louis intently as he unbuttoned and took off his shirt. He reached up and placed his hands onto Louis's hips, squeezing them lightly and giving himself a moment to admire Louis's body in the dim light of the living room. 

"You're beautiful," he whispered, a little overwhelmed. He glanced up at Louis's face, returning the smile he got warmly and reaching down to unbutton and unzip Louis's trousers. Louis looked down at him with dark eyes, and Harry had to break the eye contact after a moment, unable to hold Louis's intense gaze. 

While Louis stood up to take off the rest of his clothes, Harry pushed himself up and quickly tugged off his t-shirt, lifting his hips to wriggle out of own jeans and boxers. 

When he was completely naked, he slid a hand down to his cock; partly because he just needed to touch himself, and partly because he was a tiny bit self-conscious. He glanced over at Louis who was now also out of his clothes, and he swallowed hard when he finally saw all of Louis. He was gorgeous. 

"Hey," Louis murmured when he got back on top of him. He removed Harry's hand from his cock and gave him a little smile. "No hiding."

"Sorry," Harry whispered, his cheeks heating up and feeling a little shy all of a sudden. 

Louis gave him a smile, then looked down at him and sighed softly, a dreamy expression on his face. Harry felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth; Louis obviously enjoyed the view about as much as Harry enjoyed seeing _Louis_ naked. That gave him a bit of a confidence boost, and he folded his arms behind his head, stretching. 

"You're…" Louis started, then trailed off, shaking his head. "Magnificent."

Harry looked at him adoringly, then reached up and tugged Louis back down on top of him, moaning when their cocks brushed. He spread his legs and wrapped them around Louis's waist, kissing his shoulder, his chin, and finally his lips again. Louis kissed him back, hard, grinding his hips against Harry's a little as he started moving, their erections sliding against each other slowly. The friction was intense and perfect, and Harry couldn't suppress a low moan, which was muffled by Louis's mouth still covering his own. 

Finally, he got the chance to slide his hands down and cup Louis's arse, marvelling at how… just _round_ and _firm_ it was. He had never seen such a spectacular ass before, and was completely fascinated with it. 

Louis tensed his ass cheeks lightly, smirking against his lips, and Harry raised a brow. Then he slapped Louis's butt lightly, laughing when Louis gasped. "Hey!"

Harry grinned. "Hmm?"

Louis looked down at him with a smile, silent for a long moment. Then he brushed his lips over Harry's nose and shook his head. "Nothing. You're perfect."

Harry smiled and pulled him into another kiss, hooking his legs around Louis's waist as he rubbed up against him, his body taking over. The friction caused by the pressure of Louis's hips against his own was impossibly arousing, and Harry knew he needed more _soon_. 

Louis slid a hand between their bodies and glanced down as he wrapped his fingers around both their cocks, stroking them firmly. Harry's mouth opened in a gasp as he watched him, his chest rising and falling quickly as he started breathing more heavily. 

Louis finally let go and leaned over the edge of the couch. Harry watched him curiously; then his eyes widened a little when Louis pulled a small tube of lube out of the pocket of his pants. "Always prepared, huh?" he breathed, his cock twitching a little. 

Louis slicked his fingers with the slippery substance and glanced down at him, a small smirk on his lips. "Since I met you? Yeah."

Harry's stomach fluttered at the implication that Louis had been hoping for this to happen, and had therefore been prepared; he was so relieved that Louis clearly wanted him as much as he wanted Louis. 

His tongue darted out to wet dry lips, and he spread his legs wider. He threw a leg over the back of the couch, the other one hanging off it, giving Louis the best possible access to his body. He felt his cheeks get hot and he felt a little vulnerable; all exposed for Louis. 

But Louis's expression made him feel reassured, and he took a deep breath when Louis trailed his fingers along his crack. Harry bit his lip, taking deep breaths, telling his body to relax. He'd done this to himself before a couple of times, but had a feeling that Louis's fingers would feel so much better than his own. 

He was ready for this; he knew that now. He just hoped he wouldn't come ridiculously soon again. He wanted Louis to love this as much as Harry would without a doubt, and he wouldn't get the best experience if he had to pull out after only a few minutes. 

So Harry willed his body to calm down and let this happen, and not get too overexcited. He hoped it would work. 

Louis's fingers were still stroking up and down his crack, getting him used to the feel of someone else's fingers in that sensitive area. Harry let his eyes flutter closed and sighed, then sucked in a sharp breath when Louis slid one slick finger inside him. He clenched violently around him; his body still wasn't used to that unfamiliar sensation – but it only took a couple of moments before he relaxed around Louis's finger. He looked up at him through half-lidded eyes, giving him a small, encouraging smile; letting Louis know that it was okay; that he wanted more. 

Louis returned the smile, then bent his head and started spreading kisses all over Harry's hips and lower stomach and thighs; purposely ignoring Harry's cock, which was practically begging for attention. He was so hard – _so_ hard – and already leaking, and just wanted Louis to touch him already. 

But Louis just kept teasing him with gentle kisses while he moved his finger back and forth. 

Then, he added a second one, and Harry let out a low groan, arching up and pushing down against Louis's fingers. "Louiiiis," he breathed, digging his own fingers into the cushions of the couch, fisting the fabric, needing to hold onto something because this was almost too much – while at the same time he wanted more, _more, MORE_. 

Finally, Louis kissed his way up Harry's length, and Harry relaxed against the pillows, swallowing hard. The combined sensation of Louis's gentle lips on his erection, and his fingers moving slowly in and out of him was making Harry's head spin. Louis scissored his fingers inside him, stretching him, and Harry moaned. 

"Louis," he whined. "Please. _Please_."

He looked down at him pleadingly, not even caring that he was begging, while Louis met his eyes and smiled slowly. 

Harry was about to beg again when Louis pulled his fingers out, wiped them on his boxers, and conjured a condom seemingly out of thin air. Harry licked his lips as he watched Louis rip it open with his teeth and pull it over his cock, adding a generous amount of lube. He watched, transfixed, as Louis stroked himself, and wanted to ask if they couldn't do this without the bloody condom – but at the same time, he wasn't stupid and knew that Louis was only being careful. 

He took a deep breath and shifted a little; his body was almost _aching_ because he needed Louis so much. 

His breath caught in his throat when Louis finally positioned himself on top of him. He looked into his eyes, and Harry gave him a quick smile, which vanished a moment later to be replaced with an expression of pure need, as Louis nudged his entrance with the tip of his cock. 

"Lou," Harry murmured, sliding his hands up Louis's arms; digging his fingertips into his shoulders and tugging him down for a deep kiss, just when Louis started to push in. He did it slowly, carefully, but didn't pause, sliding all the way in and stilling his hips then, to give Harry the necessary time to get used to this. 

Harry felt full. And stretched. Louis was big – maybe not as big as Harry himself was, but his length was still considerable. But it didn't hurt. It was maybe a little uncomfortable at first; a sensation Harry had never really experienced before, but it felt good. He felt… complete. 

He pushed down against Louis a little, moaning loudly when Louis thrust forward at the same moment, and he was literally buried all the way inside of him. 

Harry took a deep breath, brushing his slightly sweaty curls out of his face, and stared up at Louis, breathing heavily. Louis looked about as overwhelmed as Harry felt, and gave him a slightly trembling smile. 

"Okay?" he whispered, and the concern in his eyes was obvious. Harry nodded mutely, licking his lips and clenching tentatively around Louis' dick; smiling when he noticed the flutter of Louis's lashes at that. He would have to remember that. 

"Yeah," he murmured then, licking his lips. "Yeah, I'm perfect."

Louis gave him a smile, and kissed the corner of his mouth; then he moved a little, pulling out a tiny bit and pushing back in. He repeated the motion a few times, pushing harder every time, and Harry thought he would come right then and there. The angle was perfect, and every time Louis thrust in, he brushed something inside of him that made Harry's eyes roll into the back of his head and his body arch up. 

It felt beyond amazing. 

After a while, he started moving a little as well, tilting his hips up to meet Louis's thrusts, and after a few clumsy attempts of finding the same rhythm, they soon began to move in perfect sync. They exchanged sloppy kisses that still somehow felt perfect to Harry, their moans filling the room. 

Harry buried his face in Louis's neck, holding onto him while Louis whispered sweet nothings into Harry's ear. He raked his nails down Louis's back, not really caring if he left marks, and Louis's moans indicated that he liked the slight pain to go with the intense pleasure of their lovemaking. 

Harry rubbed up against Louis, trying to get some friction for his cock, which felt a little left out; despite the fact that he was pretty sure that he could come just from Louis slamming into his prostate over and over again. He knew he was close and that he probably wouldn't last much longer, so he pushed back against Louis harder, wanting him to feel as good as him. 

"Louis," he breathed into his ear. "Louis, Louis, Lou- ohhh! Ohhhh…"

He babbled, losing all coherence as he felt his orgasm rush towards him. He dug his nails into Louis's back, wrapping his legs around his waist tightly as he arched up and came hard, his whole body shaking when his orgasm washed over him. 

Louis wasn't quite there yet, and Harry gasped when the other boy kept thrusting. He reached up and cupped Louis's cheeks, staring into his eyes as he watched Louis come undone as well. His hips stilled, then jerked forward one more time as he came as well, buried deep inside Harry. 

Harry let out a breath, then caught Louis as he collapsed on top of him, wrapping arms and legs around him and holding him close. 

They lay there for a long moment, catching their breaths. Harry nuzzled Louis's neck, breathing him in; smelling Louis's cologne, mixed with a faint trace of sweat. It was the sexiest scent he'd ever smelled. He took a deep, shaky breath and rubbed his eyes, noticing that they were a little wet. 

He sighed when Louis finally slipped out of him, and glanced up at him when Louis lifted his head and searched his face when he noticed the tears. "You all right?" he asked, sounding concerned. "Did I hurt you?"

Harry shook his head immediately, giving him a sweet smile. "No," he whispered. "You were perfect. I'm just… overwhelmed."

Louis relaxed and gave him a smile, nodding. "I know, baby," he murmured. "So am I."

He slid back on top of Harry and slipped his arms around his back, holding him close. Harry sighed contentedly at the feel of their naked bodies pressed together. He'd never felt happier or more complete than right now. He nosed Louis's hair and kissed the spot behind his ear, smiling when Louis shivered. 

Then he pressed his lips to Louis's neck and swallowed hard. "I love you, boobear" he mouthed against Louis's skin, stroking his back slowly. He felt the shift in Louis's tension, and was worried for a moment, but then smiled widely when Louis murmured, "Love you too, babycakes."

They probably had a lot to figure out and talk about when it came to their relationship, since they weren't even supposed to date, but none of that mattered right now. The only thing that mattered to Harry right now, was that Louis loved him and that he'd just had the perfect first time. Everything else would work out somehow; as long as they had each other.


	14. Chapter 14

Liam woke up the next morning, letting out a happy sigh. He hadn't slept this well for a really long time. He felt wonderfully rested. He stirred a little and wanted to roll onto his other side, but that didn't work out so well. He'd completely forgotten where he was and who he was with, and therefore didn't remember that he'd slept on a couch. Which obviously didn't give him much room to move. So when he turned, he rolled straight off the sofa and landed on the floor with a heavy thump. 

"Ow!"

He heard a soft chuckle and looked up, finding Zayn sitting in an armchair, a cup of coffee in his hands. "Sorry," he laughed. "That just looked adorable."

Liam frowned and sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. "What…"

Zayn's grin widened. "You look confused. Everything okay?"

Liam nodded. "Yeah… I guess? I just… feel a little disoriented. What…"

Zayn studied him thoughtfully, then bit his lip and glanced down. "You don't remember what happened last night," he said softly.

Liam rubbed his forehead, thinking. "I remember the party," he offered. "I remember beer and then it just sort of gets a little fuzzy."

Zayn nodded. "Ah."

Liam frowned as he looked up at his friend, tilting his head to the side curiously. "Why? Is there something I _should_ remember?"

Zayn looked at him for a long moment, then shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Liam. I'm surprised you feel as good as you seem to do, after a night like that."

Liam's brow furrowed and he looked even more confused than before. "What's that supposed to mean? What did I _do_?"

Zayn smiled, but there was something a little sad in his eyes. "Wouldn't _you_ like to know?" he asked teasingly, but it was obvious that he was hiding something. Or not telling him something.

Liam whined. "Zayyyn. It's not funny."

Zayn took a breath and just gave him another smile, raising his cup to his mouth and taking a sip. Then he lifted his mug. "You want some coffee?"

Liam was still trying hard to remember what he had done the previous night, but when only fragments of the night came back to him, he shook his head and gave up. Maybe he would remember later. He hoped he hadn't insulted anyone or done something hugely embarrassing. That had never happened before, but apparently alcohol made him a little unpredictable. 

"Sure," he said finally. "Coffee would be good."

While Zayn went into what Liam assumed was the kitchen, he sought out a bathroom and peed for what felt like minutes, then splashed some cool water into his face and studied his appearance in the mirror. He looked a little tired but there was nothing that could give him a hint at what he'd done the previous night. 

His lips did look a little red and puffy, though. Hmm. 

He left the bathroom a short time later and almost ran into Zayn who was now holding _two_ cups. He gave him a smile and handed him one of them, which Liam accepted gratefully.

"Thanks."

"No problem, Liam," Zayn said. They stood in the living room and sipped their coffee in silence. After a while, Liam took a look around, taking in his surroundings. There were countless empty beer bottles lying around, overflowing ashtrays, as well as some random clothes – that fortunately didn't belong to him. As far as he could tell, he was still fully dressed. 

But it looked like the party had been pretty wild. 

"Any plans for today?" Zayn asked after another moment of silence. 

Liam blinked, then had to think for a moment before he shook his head. "I don't think so. Why?"

Zayn shrugged. "No reason. Just thought you might want to hang out later or something."

Liam rubbed the back of his neck. "Depends on what you've got planned for us. I don't think I can take another party that I won't remember the next morning."

He gave him a little smile, and Zayn let out a laugh. "No, I was more thinking along the lines of a movie marathon or something, if you're up for it."

Liam gave him a warm smile. "That sounds great, Zayn."

Zayn smiled at him and nodded. "Good. Then we'll do that."

"Yeah."

They finished their coffee in silence; then Zayn had to leave for some sort of appointment. Since Liam didn't know the person whose house he'd spent the night in, he figured it was as good a time as any for him to go home too.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Liam was not the only person to wake up on a couch that morning; Louis did too. The only difference was that he couldn't possibly fall off said couch because he was trapped between the back of the sofa and a warm body. Harry's body. 

He smiled as he remembered the previous night; the romantic lovemaking they'd engaged in. He buried his face in Harry's curls and breathed him in, smiling against his neck. He brushed his lips over his skin and sighed softly, then wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer. 

Harry made a soft, content sound, and when Louis opened his eyes, he met Harry's half-lidded green ones. They looked even more breathtaking in the morning. 

"Hi," he whispered, smiling when Harry's lips curled in a warm smile. 

"Morning," the younger boy murmured back, his voice rough with sleep. And if that wasn't the sexiest thing Louis had ever heard… 

He reached up and brushed a stray curl out of Harry's face, unable to stop smiling goofily. "Did you sleep well?"

Harry's eyes fluttered when Louis' fingers threaded through his hair, and he made another soft sound. "Mhm. Never slept better."

He shifted and frowned briefly. "A little sore, though."

Louis frowned worriedly, his fingers stilling in Harry's hair. "Did I hurt you? Was I too rough? I'm sorry, baby…"

But Harry just smiled and shook his head. "Nope. Good soreness."

Louis relaxed and continued stroking Harry's hair, his odd fascination with Harry's sproingy hair getting the better of him. He literally couldn't stop touching Harry's curls. 

"Do you have to go home today?" he asked softly, after a moment of silence, smiling when Harry shook his head. 

"Nope. I can stay here… all day and night, if you can stand my presence that long."

Louis pretended to think about it and cocked an eyebrow. Harry's brow furrowed and he smacked him. "Hey!"

Louis laughed. "I'm joking, Haz. If I didn't have to, I'd never let you go home again."

Harry relaxed and smiled, sliding an arm around Louis and stroking the small of his back gently. "Good. Cause I'm not going anywhere unless you kick me out."

They looked at each other in silence, exchanging gentle touches and kisses until Louis couldn't ignore his full bladder anymore and had to climb over Harry and run to the bathroom. When he'd done the deed and was washing his hands, he caught a glance at himself in the mirror, and stared for a moment. He'd never seen himself look this happy – or at least not since he'd left home. Harry made him happy. It had been a week and he already felt like he couldn't live without the other boy. 

He finally made his way back to Harry, and they decided to get breakfast from that little place around the corner, and then just spend the rest of the day in bed. To Louis, that literally sounded like the best thing in the world.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

That evening, Liam and Zayn were sitting on Liam's couch, watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Nothing was different really; they'd done this countless times before, but Liam sometimes found himself glancing over at Zayn and had the distinct feeling that something _had_ changed between them since last night – a night which he _still_ couldn't remember. He'd done a lot of thinking that day, and he still got these little flashbacks every once in a while, but nothing really made sense. 

So eventually, he'd given up on the idea of figuring out what had happened on his own – and since Zayn wasn't going to tell him… he just had to accept that that night would remain a hole in his memory. 

What worried him a little was that Zayn was sitting on the other edge of the couch. Usually – well, before they'd reconnected recently – Zayn had always been rather close; his head resting on Liam's shoulder or lap. Zayn had always been a little cuddle-bug and Liam had never minded. But seeing Zayn keep such a distance between them gave him the terrible feeling that he'd done something wrong, and not knowing what that could possibly be made it impossible for him to relax. 

He bit his lip. "Zayn?"

Zayn raised a brow questioningly but didn't take his eyes off the screen – which was not really surprising to Liam because his friend had always had a weakness for Orlando Bloom in tights and a blond wig. Liam couldn't blame him. 

"Did I do something?"

At that, Zayn finally tore his eyes off the screen and looked over at him, meeting his eyes. He looked confused. "Like what?"

Liam gave a weak shrug, not sure what he was getting at. "I don't know. You're just so quiet and distant and I just thought… I don't know. But If I did something or said something, please tell me?"

Zayn bit his lip. "Why would you think something's wrong?"

Liam looked at him, then pointed at the huge empty spot between them. 

Zayn glanced down, then up again, giving him a smile that almost looked hopeful. "Do you want me to scoot over? Cause I can do that. I just figured you might want your space."

Liam licked his lips and shook his head. "No. I want you right here."

Zayn's face lit up at that, and Liam felt an odd little flutter in his stomach. He liked seeing his friend happy, and Zayn definitely _did_ look happy right now.

A moment later, his stomach tightened again when he felt his friend's warm body lean against his side, and he snaked an arm around Zayn's shoulder, pulling him closer. Zayn's hair tickled his neck, his warm breath ghosting over his skin as he asked, "Better?"

Liam swallowed hard, and glanced down at him, returning the other boy's smile. "Yeah. Better."

Zayn gave him a quick smile, then looked back at the screen, and Liam could finally relax and push the probably ridiculous idea that something was wrong between them to the back of his mind.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Zayn couldn't believe that Liam couldn't remember the kiss. He himself remembered the previous night so vividly that it was hard to believe that the bit of weed Liam had smoked could make him forget an entire evening. Zayn had tried to give him a few hints but Liam remained clueless.

He sighed inwardly as he nestled into his friend's warm body, trying to suppress the urge to kiss him again and remind him of what had happened the night before. He didn't want to freak Liam out, and he had a feeling that sober Liam wouldn't appreciate his kisses as much as slightly drunk and high Liam had. 

Zayn kind of missed that Liam already; he'd been so warm and pliant against his body…

He knew he probably shouldn't think those things about his best friend, but he couldn't help it. He'd always had a crush on Liam, and recent events had only reinforced and rekindled those old feelings. But he knew he would probably never get to act on them, so he tried to forget about everything and just treat Liam like his best friend. 

Snuggling into him didn't really help, but Liam had looked so lost and confused that Zayn hadn't had the heart to say no when Liam had asked him to come closer. 

And it wasn't like there was a place where Zayn would rather be right now. It just made ignoring his feelings for the other man that much harder…

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

A few blocks away, Harry and Louis were taking a warm bath together and Harry couldn't get over how natural and right being with Louis this way felt. It kind of felt like they'd been doing this for years, even though they'd met less than a week ago. 

Harry idly pushed the bubbles floating on top of the water around, nibbling his lip. There was a question he'd been wanting to ask since last night, and he bit his lip as he looked over at Louis, not sure if he should ask or not. Maybe it would make him sound like an inexperienced teenager, but right now, he couldn't really bring himself to care because he needed to know. 

"Louis?"

"Hm?"

"Are we… I mean, do you think we're…"

Harry trailed off and bit his lip, frowning as he thought about how to formulate his question. 

"What is it, babycakes? You look all serious."

Harry met Louis's eyes and gave him a little smile. "I just… Are we boyfriends now?" he asked, and groaned inwardly when his voice came out all small and insecure. 

He watched Louis's face after asking the question, his heart skipping a beat when he noticed the smile on the other boy's face. 

"You want me to be your boyfriend?"

Harry bit his lip and nodded. "I do. I love you and I want to be with you, and I know we're technically not supposed to, but…"

He was babbling and tried to make himself stop, but couldn't. After letting him ramble some more and embarrass himself completely, Louis finally interrupted him. 

"Hey, Harry?"

Harry looked up at him, feeling his cheeks heat up as he looked at Louis with a little too much hope. 

"We're boyfriends."

Harry felt relief seep into him and gave Louis a face-splitting smile. "We are?"

Louis smiled. "Yeah, we are. Secret boyfriends for now, though, okay? You understand that, right? I don't like hiding you, but while we both work for your dad, it's the only way."

Harry took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, sure, I don't care. I just want to be your boyfriend, and for you to be mine."

Louis grinned. "Well, you are. And I am."

Harry returned the smile, then pushed himself up and moved over in the tub, sliding on top of Louis and sucking the other boy's bottom lip into his mouth, eliciting a soft moan from Louis. 

He grinned when Louis's eyes twinkled with a mixture of adoration and lust, and Harry felt the welcome hardness pressed against his thigh. He rubbed against it lightly and licked his lips seductively, leaning forward to kiss Louis again and planning on ravishing his _boyfriend_. 

Louis didn't seem to mind. At all.


	15. Chapter 15

After a wonderful weekend of doing absolutely nothing productive, a new week started, and Liam almost burst into tears when he saw the pile of work waiting for him that Monday morning. He'd neglected his work a little the week before and now he had no idea how he was going to catch up and get everything done. His workload was insane and it was beginning to seriously bother him that he had to stay at the office for about fourteen hours a day to get everything done. 

Spending a few evenings with Zayn had showed him that he hadn't forgotten how to have fun, and he kind of missed being able to just relax. But with his recent promotion, he also knew that he couldn't just ignore his responsibilities.

Sighing heavily, he decided to get started. Zayn had actually asked him to come to the pub tonight, and Liam had accepted his invitation. He would hate to have to cancel, so he tried to focus and work as fast as he possibly could. 

The sky was already darkening when Liam finally leaned back and rubbed his eyes tiredly, deciding to call it a night. Looking back at how frustrated and discouraged he'd been that morning, he had to admit that he'd finished an impressive amount of work, and he had a feeling that he'd be able to get the rest done the next day. 

He'd wanted to finish one more thing before meeting Zayn at the pub, but staring at the blank page on his screen, he realized that that wasn't going to happen. He rubbed his temples and shook his head. He was beyond tired, and all he wanted to do right now was see Zayn, have a few drinks and then go home and sleep. 

One look at his phone revealed three missed calls and two texts, and he cringed. He wasn't late yet, but Zayn had obviously wanted to reach him, probably to make sure he hadn't worked himself to death yet. He was actually surprised his friend hadn't barged into his office yet to drag him out by his hair – which he'd threatened him with again the day before. 

He shut his computer down and pushed himself up, stretching. He was physically and mentally exhausted, and part of him was kind of tempted to cancel on Zayn and ask him to do this another night. But he knew he wouldn't do that; he couldn't go back to his usual nightly routine, now that he was actually getting used to going out after work. Besides – Liam never broke his promises, and he wasn't going to start now. 

He grabbed his phone and texted Zayn to let him know he was on his way. 

Finally ready to go, Liam grabbed his stuff, opened the door, and was about to leave his office when a voice sounded through the dimly-lit reception area. Liam blinked; he'd expected to be the only one left – which was usually the case. 

For some inexplicable reason, he found himself hiding from whoever else was out there, and tried to recognize the voices…

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Styles! Didn't expect to see you here this late," Louis said as he strode towards the younger boy. 

Harry looked up and rolled his eyes when he spotted Louis, a small smirk tugging on the corners of his mouth. "Oh really? That's rather odd, considering it was you who told me to stay here and wait for you, _Mr. Tomlinson._ "

He leaned back on his arms where he was seated on the reception desk, and tilted his head, raising a brow. Louis was standing in front of him now, looking really, really good in his grey suit. The suspenders his now boyfriend always wore seriously killed him sometimes. They weren't supposed to be sexy, but on Louis, they were. So was his tie. Harry was tempted to reach for it, tug him closer and just kiss him. But he didn't. They had time. 

"Did I?" Louis asked in a pretend surprised tone, looking Harry up and down slowly with that look on his face; the one that made Harry's toes curl. He tried not to show Louis what kind of effect he had on him, and just brushed a curl back in a seemingly casual manner, while really, he was already hardening rapidly. 

"You did. Now why don't you tell me why exactly you wanted me to stay?" Harry shifted on the desk and leaned back, looking at Louis expectantly. 

Louis loosened his tie and collar a little, still not breaking the eye contact. His eyes were stunningly blue and piercing tonight, and despite the fact that Harry had a pretty good grip on himself, he found himself swallowing. 

_Fuck_. 

He licked his lips, then reached up to tug on the collar of Louis's shirt, smiling when he spotted the bruise he'd left there the night before. It wasn't visible when the collar was up, but just knowing it was there had made Harry feel smug all day. And he'd caught Louis touching it absentmindedly a few times while smiling dreamily, which had almost made him flail. 

Louis wrapped his hand around Harry's wrist and brought his hand up to his mouth. He held the eye contact as he kissed each fingertip gently, then sucked two of Harry's fingers into his mouth. He rubbed his tongue along them slowly, and Harry squeaked. 

That was _evil_. 

He took a deep, shaky breath and looked down at Louis's crotch. Then he hooked a leg around Louis's waist and tugged him closer, sliding a hand between his legs possessively to squeeze his bulge while he kissed him hard. An involuntary moan escaped Louis's lips and Harry smirked against them, nibbling on his bottom lip lightly. 

When Louis drew back suddenly, it was Harry's turn to whine. He tightened his hand around Louis's cock and stared up at him, licking his lips slowly. "Can I suck you off?" he asked, sucking his own bottom lip into his mouth and looking up at him innocently. 

It seemed to work because Louis looked momentarily stunned; then he gave a brief nod and reached down to open his pants. Harry batted his hands away and shook his head. "No. Let me."

He took a breath and slid off the desk, then pushed Louis against it and dropped to his knees in front of him. He leaned forward and pressed his face against Louis's still-clothed erection, giving him a cheeky grin. Then he slowly pulled down the zipper of Louis's pants – with his teeth. He tugged the other man's trousers over his hips, enjoying Louis's soft little gasps and moans – and he wasn't even touching him yet. 

He had a feeling Louis would be loud tonight. 

He wrapped a hand around his cock and smiled up at him as he trailed his tongue around the head and then slipped Louis's entire length into his mouth, his cheek hollowing as he started sucking.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Liam was frozen. He was convinced that he'd literally lost the ability to move because he was still in the same spot where he'd been standing ten minutes ago, staring at the scene unfolding before his eyes. At first, he'd almost stepped in – it had looked like Louis was harassing Harry for a minute or two, and it was Liam's job, as Harry's mentor, to protect him from that kind of thing. 

But then it had quickly become obvious that everything that was happening right there on Eleanor's desk was completely consensual, and Liam had relaxed. For a moment anyway, because now Harry was on his knees in front of Louis and sucking him off like his life depended on it. 

And Liam was hard. 

He felt extremely guilty for being hard because of Harry _again_ , but he literally couldn't help it this time. Seeing two attractive guys making out and basically giving him a live porn show was just too much for him. And it wasn't like he could just walk out right now. He would startle them and embarrass them, and… no. He couldn't do that. 

What he should do, was close the door and go back to work for a little while, at least until Harry and Louis had left the building. 

But there was still the little problem that he couldn't move – and didn't want to. His conscience was telling him to turn away, but he couldn't. All he could do was stare at how much of Louis's cock fit into Harry's mouth, and how much both of them seemed to be enjoying this. 

He reached down and pressed his palm against his own cock, leaning against the doorway and swallowing hard, his eyes fastened on the two other boys, watching them intently. 

Louis slid a hand into Harry's hair, wrapping his thick curls around his fingers and tugging lightly. Harry moaned in response and doubled his efforts, his head bobbing back and forth over Louis's crotch, his lips stretched around the older boy's thick cock. 

Louis hissed sharply and tugged Harry off his cock a little while later, eliciting a disappointed mewl from Harry. "Louiiiis…"

They both breathed heavily as they stared at each other – as did Liam, hoping desperately the couple wouldn't hear him. Louis reached down and brushed his fingers over Harry's cheek, then pulled him up and picked him up easily as he kissed him hard. He reversed their positions and pressed Harry against the desk, grinding against him roughly.

Liam's breath hitched and he slapped a hand over his mouth to muffle any unwanted sounds he might make. He squeezed his erection through his trousers and buried his face in his arm for a moment, trying to get himself back under control. The need to touch himself kept getting stronger, but he wasn't going to do it. He wasn't going to be some pervert who got off on this – even though it was probably already too late for that.

Taking a shallow breath, he raised his head a little and peeked at the couple in the lobby again, stifling a moan because _FUCK_ …

Louis was busy opening Harry's trousers and tugging them down with one hand, while his other arm was wrapped around Harry's waist. They rubbed against each other a little desperately, and Liam found himself pressing down on his cock a little harder; he just couldn't help it anymore.

The kiss went on for a little while longer, then Louis stepped back and looked at Harry a little breathlessly. "Take off your trousers," he murmured, his voice low and commanding; a slow smirk gracing his lips when he noticed Harry's shiver. 

He and Liam both watched Harry kick off his shoes and wiggle out of his pants, tossing them away with a skilled kick of his leg. Then he hopped back onto the desk and spread his legs wide.

Louis seemed more or less composed, but Liam's eyes widened comically when he literally saw _all_ of Harry. He felt even more guilty now, but couldn't look away. He just _couldn't_. 

He watched with wide eyes as Louis got down on his knees between Harry's legs and swallowed hard when Louis started trailing kisses over the insides of Harry's thighs, getting closer to his cock with every brush of his lips. He rubbed his cheek against Harry's cock, and nuzzled him. 

"Mmh, Louis," Harry murmured, smoothing a strand of Louis's hair between his fingers as he looked down at him, looking pleased. His eyes fluttered closed, then he let out an actual whimper when Louis…

Liam squinted as he tried to figure out what Louis was doing to Harry _now_ , and his brows shot up. He couldn't suppress a soft moan when he realized that Louis was rimming Harry. Harry seemed just as stunned as he was, and Liam bit down hard on his fist to keep himself from making another sound. The pulsing in his cock became almost unbearable and he knew he needed to touch himself soon, or he would literally explode. 

"Louuuiiiis," Harry breathed, his head dropping back as Louis continued his ministrations. Liam cursed the fact that he couldn't see more of what Louis's tongue was doing to Harry right now, but just seeing Harry's expression of pure bliss was enough for him. 

He looked down at Louis's head for a moment, then closed his eyes to imagine his tongue sliding in and out of Harry; teasing him, causing those amazing little sounds Harry was making right now…

He bit his lip, then gave up. He reached down and unbuttoned and unzipped his trousers, pulling his cock out and squeezing it. He let out a shaky breath, then had to open his eyes again, not wanting to miss a second of this. 

He looked up at Harry, and froze. 

Because Harry was staring back at him, his eyes half-lidded. For a moment, Liam just stood there, unmoving and wondering if it was even possible for Harry to see him through the darkness – but when Harry's lips hitched up into a little smirk, Liam knew that he could see him. 

_Fuck._

He waited for Harry to notify Louis about his presence and for Louis to beat the crap out of him because he was a dirty pervert – but none of that happened. Instead, Harry held the eye contact and slid his hand down his body, pressing his large hand against his equally large cock. His tongue darted out to wet his lips before he wrapped his hand around his cock and started stroking himself, still staring at Liam. 

Liam held his breath and just stared back at Harry, transfixed and confused – was Harry really okay with him watching this obviously intimate moment between them? Did he _like_ being watched?

He took a short breath, then swallowed hard when he noticed Harry's eyes travelling down his body and focusing on his cock. Liam bit his lip to prevent himself from moaning. Their eyes met again and Harry raised a brow in a way that was almost challenging. 

Did he want Liam to touch himself? It certainly looked like it, but… 

_Oh god._

Liam bit his lip as he started moving his hand on himself slowly, completely aware that Harry was watching him. He wasn't sure how much Harry could see, but he was definitely watching him. Which sent an odd shiver through Liam's body, almost making him come right then and there.

He tried to keep the moves of his hand slow; not wanting this to be over too soon. 

Harry finally took his eyes off him and closed them, gasping when Louis drew back and stood up. 

"Hey!" he complained, and Louis let out a soft chuckle. "Patience, babycakes."

He leaned in and kissed Harry, and Harry melted into the kiss, Liam apparently forgotten. Which didn't matter to Liam at all – he enjoyed just watching this. He still felt a little guilty, and had no idea how he was even going to face Harry tomorrow – but right now, he just wanted to enjoy this. He would think about the rest later.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

When Louis broke the kiss and stepped back for a moment, he stared at Harry and shook his head. He looked _debauched_. His hair was curlier than ever before, and with his flushed cheeks and red lips, all spread out for him… 

Louis's cock twitched at the sight. 

Harry looked back at him innocently, and Louis wanted to make him scream. He grabbed him, tugged him off the desk and turned him around and bent him over the desk. He pressed Harry's face against the desk – still careful to be gentle – but Harry didn't seem to mind a little roughness. Which was such a fucking turn-on. 

Louis licked his lips, taking a deep breath as he looked down at Harry's white little arse, his legs spread wide. 

"Louis," Harry breathed, and Louis blinked, looking at Harry's face. He leaned over him and licked the shell of his ear teasingly. 

"What is it, Harry?" he murmured, still managing to be somewhat seductive, even though he really just wanted to give up all pretence and show Harry what he was doing to him. He slid his hands onto Harry's hips and pressed his erection against Harry's crack. "You want something?"

"You," Harry managed, his voice sounding strained. He was gripping the edges of the desk, panting heavily and pressing his arse back against Louis's cock, rubbing against him, trying to get more friction. "I want you – fuck me, Louis. _Please_."

Louis let out a shaky breath of his own and licked his lips. "I will," he murmured. 

He stepped back reluctantly and bent down to look for the lube he'd slid into his pocket this morning. He uncapped the tube and slicked his fingers, and was back behind Harry a moment later, slowly rubbing his fingers along Harry's crack. He circled his hole with two fingers, moaning when Harry clenched around him. He closed his eyes for a moment, then slid two of them inside Harry, moaning when Harry's muscles gripped them almost painfully tight. 

He moved them back and forth slowly, finger-fucking Harry until he was literally begging for his cock. "Louis!" Harry gasped when Louis brushed his prostate, pressing down on it with the tips of his fingers. "Lou– Louis, please, I'm ready, just… just MORE, please."

Louis smiled to himself, then carefully pulled his fingers out, wiping them on his tie that he'd taken off in the meantime. He stroked Harry's hip gently and leaned over him to kiss his shoulder blades and spine lightly while his other hand was busy rolling a condom over his cock and spreading a generous amount of lube over it. When Harry was about to launch into another round of " _please, Louis, pleeease_ ", Louis rubbed the tip of his cock over Harry's arse cheeks and then pressed in – carefully but without hesitation, knowing Harry could take it. He met no resistance – Harry hadn't been lying when he'd said he was ready – and slipped in all the way. He buried himself inside him, tugging Harry back against him. 

Harry was a whimpering mess, panting heavily, and Louis couldn't wait any longer – he pulled out almost all the way and thrust back in, his whole body trembling when Harry's tight warmth surrounded him again. He still couldn't get over how unbelievably fucking _tight_ he felt. 

He started slamming into him a little harder when he was sure Harry could take it, and let his body take over. Harry pushed back against him, meeting his thrusts as much as he could, considering Louis was still holding him down. 

He knew neither of them would last long – he'd almost come when Harry had sucked him off before and knew that Harry had been very close to his own orgasm when he'd rimmed him – so he was prepared when he felt his orgasm rushing towards him only a few minutes later. 

He slid an arm around Harry's middle and pulled him up a little so he could slide his hand down to wrap around Harry's cock. He stroked him roughly, his moves a little uncoordinated but he didn't think Harry minded. In fact, his boyfriend was moaning loudly, thrusting into his hand and clenching around his cock, and it didn't take much longer before Louis felt Harry's cock give that familiar little jerk as he splattered come all over the desk. 

Louis lowered an almost limp Harry back onto said desk and thrust in twice more. Then he pulled out, tugged the condom off and gripped his cock as he started spurting seed all over Harry's lower back and arse cheeks. He stared down at him in fascination, coating Harry's skin with his release until he'd squeezed even the last drop out. 

Then he stumbled a little and grabbed the desk to hold onto as he lowered himself onto the floor, sighing heavily. "Fuck," he whispered. 

They stayed there like that for a moment as they caught their breaths; then Louis reached for Harry, turning him around gently. He looked at Harry's hips, which were a little bruised from hitting the edge of the desk again and again, and he bit his lip, feeling bad. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered, looking up at Harry apologetically as he kissed the other boy's bruised hips gently. 

Their eyes met and he was relieved when Harry smiled down at him; he didn't seem bothered by the bruises, and Louis was glad he hadn't seriously hurt him. Hurting Harry was the last thing he wanted to do. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he ever did.

He felt Harry's fingers in his hair and let out a soft sigh, leaning into the touch. 

He finally rose to his feet and brushed a curl of Harry's behind his ear. "I should take you home," he murmured.

Harry sighed heavily and rolled his eyes, but nodded. 

They got dressed in silence, and Louis had just finished buttoning his shirt when Harry reached for him and pulled him close again. "That was amazing," he murmured. "Our first time was amazing, but this… just keeps getting better."

Louis smiled and brushed a kiss over Harry's temple. "It does, doesn't it? I'm sure we'll find many other creative ways to be together."

Harry returned his smirk when he drew back, and he nodded. "I'm sure we will."

Their hands found each other and Louis gave Harry a sweet smile before he tugged him to the elevator. He didn't notice Harry's brief glance over his shoulder as they got into the elevator where they made out some more and then went home.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Liam missed the look as well because he was currently holding onto the doorway and was staring at the splash of his own release all over the door. His legs felt shaky and he wasn't sure they would hold him up much longer. 

He didn't know when he'd last come this hard. 

He was about to reach for a tissue to wipe the evidence of his own perversion off, when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He picked it up automatically. 

"It's been one bloody hour, Liam!" Zayn sounded mad. "I'm coming to pick you up there right now. BE READY."

"I am," Liam managed. "I am ready – I'll be out in a minute. Sorry."

He blinked and stared at his phone after his friend hung up on him, and when he looked at the display ofhis phone after Zayn's picture had disappeared, he realized that he really _was_ an hour late. 

Oops. 

But it wasn't really his fault, was it? And if anyone understood this, it would be Zayn. Right?

He wasn't sure he should tell him, though – maybe Zayn would think he was a dirty freak and wouldn't want to hang out with him anymore. He considered that possibility as he wiped his come off the door and tugged his trousers back up, shoving his cock back into his boxers and zipping up. 

Then he shook his head inwardly. No. Zayn wouldn't think he was a freak – if anything, Zayn would call him a slut, laugh at him a little, but he'd probably be happy that he'd gotten off on _something_ after all this time. 

Liam rubbed his face, feeling the heat in his cheeks and knowing he probably looked even more embarrassed than he felt right now. 

After one last look around the now empty office, he took the lift downstairs, ready to face his slightly pissed off friend.


	16. Chapter 16

Zayn looked up at him as he came out of the building, and Liam immediately raised his hands defensively. "I'm sorry. I know I'm late, and I'm sorry."

Zayn folded his arms over his chest and scowled. 

"I am," Liam sighed. "I am sorry – I was actually going to leave the office an hour ago, but I couldn't."

At this, Zayn tilted his head and inspected Liam from all sides before looking at him blankly. "Doesn't look like a bookcase fell on you and the building doesn't seem to be on fire, which would be the only reasons for you to not be able to get out. I don't see the police here either, so I doubt you got locked in. So tell me – why couldn't you leave the office an hour ago?"

Liam felt bad and couldn't hold the eye contact. He flushed and stared down at his feet, biting his lip hard. He didn't want to tell Zayn about everything that had just happened – or actually, he kind of _did_ , but was too embarrassed to say anything. He could sense Zayn's eyes on him, though, and felt his own discomfort grow with every second that passed. 

And then it just bubbled out of him. 

"Okay, I was just about to leave my office when I heard someone's voice, so I waited to see who it was, and it was Louis – you remember Louis? – well, it was him, and he was talking to Harry, the kid I'm mentoring, and they were flirting, and I was surprised cause it just seemed so random and sudden, and then they started kissing and taking off their clothes, and I was just standing there, literally frozen, and god, then Harry went down on Louis and I could see everything, and I got so turned on but I was still hiding, and I knew it was wrong to watch and I wanted to leave but I couldn't because.. well, _because_! What would I have said? "Sorry I was perving on you, I'm gonna leave now"? I don't _think_ so. So I just stayed there, hiding behind my door, and then Harry was done giving Louis head and Louis undressed Harry and rimmed him – he bloody _rimmed_ him, right there on Eleanor's desk – and Harry was moaning and stuff, and then… well, I just couldn't help it anymore, so I started… you know. And then I looked up and Harry was staring straight at me – he _saw_ me, Zayn. And I was about to freak out but then he kind of made me continue touching myself, and oh god, I can't believe I _did_ that – he's only sixteen, and god, I feel so horribly, horribly guilty. I have no idea how I'm going to face him tomorrow, and… and then Louis bent him over the desk and fucked him, and I just… watched it till the end. And then they left, and you called me and… now I'm here."

He took a deep breath and bit his lip as he looked at Zayn.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Zayn tried to understand everything when Liam started babbling, and had a hard time keeping up – but when Liam finished, he blinked. He was torn between laughing out loud because Liam was so flustered and embarrassed, and it was kind of adorable to be honest – and imagining Liam touching himself while watching what was basically a live porn scene. 

_Damn._

"Wow," he said finally. "I guess that _is_ a pretty good excuse. In your case, I probably would've stayed too. So it was hot, huh? And Louis is the one with the blue eyes, perfect hair and cute arse, right? So basically you got to look at that flawless bum while you jerked off? Wow, nice! Kind of jealous right now."

He licked his lips and looked Liam up and down. He wouldn't mind looking at _his_ arse while touching himself. He'd imagined it many times…

"Yes," Liam groaned. "It was _so_ hot. And kind of intimate, you know? They seemed really in love with each other, and how I've missed the fact that they're clearly dating is beyond me – but yes. They were hot. Bloody hell."

He rubbed his forehead and looked adorably confused and flushed, and all Zayn wanted to do was to kiss him again. 

He'd been thinking about their kiss a lot. He couldn't _stop_ thinking about it actually. It had been perfect, and he still couldn't believe that Liam didn't seem to remember it. Or maybe he was pretending not to remember it?

He'd considered that for a while but had come to the conclusion that Liam just wasn't a good liar and would've blushed or at least given him some kind of indication that he remembered it, if that were the case. 

But maybe Zayn could remind him…

He looked at Liam's lips, which looked a little red and swollen, probably from being bitten while Liam had wanked earlier. And god, the thought of Liam just standing there, ridiculously embarrassed for being horny over watching two guys get it on right in front of him did something to Zayn, and before he could stop himself, he'd closed the distance between them, had his hand buried in Liam's hair and their lips pressed together in a hard, deep kiss. 

Zayn's heart skipped a beat when he felt Liam tense in his arms for a fraction of a second before he kissed him back hungrily. _He was kissing him back._ Zayn let out a breath and pressed Liam against the wall of the building he'd been leaning against before and deepened the kiss, brushing his tongue over Liam's bottom lip as he slid it into his mouth. His hand tightened in Liam's hair and he tugged on his thick strands gently, his whole body pressed against the other man's. 

The kiss went on for a while, and Zayn was in heaven. He'd been waiting for an opportunity like this for years – literal _years_. And sure, they had made out for hours this weekend, but it wasn't the same. This time, Liam was knowingly kissing him back; he wasn't under the influence of alcohol or weed, and seemed pretty into it from what Zayn could tell. 

Finally, they were both out of breath and Zayn drew back slowly, unable to keep the smile off his face. After years of pining for Liam, he _had_ him. He took a breath before opening his eyes, smiling when Liam's slowly fluttered open as well. 

He looked at him with a smile, watching Liam focus on him and look utterly snogged and blissful for a moment. But then his expression suddenly changed into one of shock and he lowered his eyes. "I… I should go. I wasn't… I need to go," he murmured, and pushed past Zayn, hurrying off before Zayn could even process what was happening.

Zayn stood there, shell-shocked for a second or two before he snapped back to reality and stumbled after his friend. "Liam! Liam, wait!"

"I'm sorry – I just really need to go," Liam called over his shoulder, waving awkwardly. 

Zayn stopped following him and just stayed there, looking after Liam and watching him disappear into the nearest Underground station. He swallowed hard and sat down on the steps leading up to the law firm, and buried his face in his hands, tugging on his hair in frustration. 

He'd fucked it up. 

He'd really been sure that this was the right moment to kiss Liam, but apparently, Liam didn't think so. 

"I'm such an _idiot_ ," he hissed and rose to his feet, stalking off in the opposite direction. 

Could he _ever_ do something right?

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Liam was walking fast, even though he knew Zayn had stopped following him a long time ago. He was almost home when he finally allowed himself to take a break; he was a little out of breath and leaned against a tree as he closed his eyes and sucked in a deep lungful of fresh air. 

His lips were still tingling from the force of Zayn's kiss, and he felt familiar heat pool in his groin when he remembered how amazing Zayn had felt pressed against him…

He groaned in frustration, pushed himself off and made his way home, refusing to think about it. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget how Zayn's lips had felt against his own; gentle and demanding at the same time, and so incredibly soft…

When Liam was finally in the safety of his flat, he closed the door and sat down hard on the floor. He rubbed his temples, then stared down at his feet. 

He remembered how. 

Friday night. The party. The weed. Zayn's kisses. Zayn curling around him before he'd fallen asleep in his arms. 

He remembered everything so clearly now…

He pushed himself up and made his way into the kitchen, grabbing the bottle of red wine he and Zayn had opened a couple of days. He turned to reach for a glass, then changed his mind, uncorked the bottle and drank straight from it. Then he wiped his mouth and stared at his hand for a moment before walking into the living room and flopping down on the couch. 

He really didn't want to think about anything right now. Not the fact that he'd watched Harry and Louis have sex, not the heated make-out session that had happened at the party the other night, and especially not the longing he'd felt in Zayn's kiss just about half an hour ago. He didn't understand it; it confused and scared him, and he really just wanted to drink himself into oblivion right now. 

He drank some more wine and leaned back, rubbing the back of his neck absentmindedly as he waited for the familiar effects of the alcohol to take over. 

But they didn't. 

In fact, he felt stone-cold sober. And he didn't like it. At all.

So he kept drinking – yet he still found himself thinking about the kiss and how desperately Zayn had looked at him when he'd taken off. 

Great. Now he felt like a complete ass. He knew he had to apologize to Zayn tomorrow, but he had no idea what to say to him and was kind of dreading that conversation. He wasn't even sure _why_ he was so scared or why he'd run away in the first place; it wasn't like he hadn't enjoyed the kiss. In fact, it had been quite perfect… 

He gave up on drinking when he'd finished the bottle, knowing there was no point in opening another one. He felt the exhaustion of the whole day wash over him and knew it probably wouldn't take much longer for him to fall asleep. 

In his bedroom, he took off his clothes and didn't even bother looking for his pyjamas before he slipped under the covers naked and pulled them over his head. He buried his face in the pillow and waited for sleep to come. Maybe his dreams would give him clarity.

He felt himself doze off when his phone beeped. He pulled the covers down a little and looked at it apprehensively, but then reached for it, too curious not to. 

His heart stopped for a second when he saw that it was Zayn – which shouldn't really surprise him, since he was the only person who ever texted him – and licked his lips as he opened it. 

_I'm sorry about what happened, I didn't mean to freak you out… forgive me? x_

Liam stared at the message for a long moment and considered replying, but he couldn't. Not when he had no idea what to say to Zayn; not when he didn't know how he felt about this whole thing. 

He turned off his phone and set it aside, then rolled onto his side, squeezing his eyes shut and trying to go to sleep. 

It took a long time before it finally came.


	17. Chapter 17

Liam woke up the next morning, not feeling much better than the night before. It was ridiculously early in the morning; his alarm hadn't even rung yet and he'd barely managed to sleep at all. Also, the first things he remembered were the confusing events of the night before, which didn't really help matters. 

Deciding to try to get some more rest, he rolled onto his side, and even though he was tired, he quickly gave up on that plan. It wasn't happening. 

Annoyed, he rolled out of bed a few minutes later and stomped into the bathroom, taking a quick, cold shower. He got dressed and went into the kitchen to make some coffee, when he realized that he didn't have any left. Which was the worst thing to ever happen to him. Liam couldn't function without his coffee. 

He rubbed his neck, trying to calm down. Another glance at the clock told him he had plenty of time to either go buy coffee, or just have breakfast out. Since he didn't know what else to do and didn't want to show up at work too early, he left the house a short time later, and walked to the nearest Underground station. When he stepped onto the platform, the train had just left and he sighed heavily, sitting down to wait for the next one – which obviously wasn't going to take long. But today seemed to be one of those days where just about anything annoyed him. 

He played with his keychain for a while, then studied the posters. He shook his head over some advertisements, then focused on an underwear ad, which was definitely more appealing. He looked at the model's crotch, raising a brow because it was obvious that he was pretty well-endowed. He wasn't big, buff and well-defined à la David Beckham, which most of these models were, but actually kind of skinny. Still, Liam couldn't take his eyes off the dark happy trail leading down into the black boxer-briefs the guy was showing off. 

He let his eyes travel up the guy's body, and finally looked at his face. 

His eyes almost rolled out of his head when he saw the familiar face and realized that he actually _knew_ the guy. 

Pretty well, actually, considering he'd just kissed him the night before. 

"Zayn," Liam breathed, not even aware that he'd said that out loud. It didn't matter anyway because he was the only one there. 

He stared at the poster in shock. When had Zayn started modelling underwear? Why hadn't he _told_ him that posters of him half-naked would be hanging all over the wall's of London's Underground? 

His mouth went dry as he let his eyes move back down Zayn's body. 

It wasn't surprising that he hadn't recognized his friend immediately, though. Zayn had tattoos – not all of which Liam knew about, of course, since Zayn was a bit of an ink addict and got so many in a year that it was kind of hard to keep track – but in the photo, they'd airbrushed them away. Which was scandalous, in Liam's opinion. The advertisement would've looked so much better if they'd showed the real Zayn. 

When the train suddenly arrived, Liam let out a soft huff of frustration because now, the poster was hidden from view. People were getting off the train, but Liam didn't budge. Even when he heard the monotonous _Please mind the gap_ coming from the speakers, he didn't get up to get on the train. Instead, he let it leave, and focused back on Zayn, staring some more. 

Ogling his friend's body like this was bringing back memories of the previous night, and of how amazing that body had felt pressed against him. Liam found himself closing his eyes, imagining Zayn's lips back against his own… 

The kiss had been the most amazing thing he'd ever experienced. So why had he run away? It didn't make any sense. Why was he afraid of this? 

He wasn't sure. 

But the way he felt while looking at Zayn's poster told him everything he needed to know. 

He was attracted to his best friend. And unless he was completely mistaken, Zayn was attracted to _him_ as well. And last night, Liam had treated him like a piece of shit.

And now he felt like a class one arsehole. 

He needed to apologize. And he needed to do this now. 

Resolved, Liam rose to his feet and ran through the still mostly-empty corridors of the station, looking for the platform of the line that would take him to Zayn's place. He hadn't been there in ages, but clearly, he still knew how to get there. 

He was on the train a short time later, got out at the station closest to Zayn's flat, and walked quickly, not stopping until he was in front of Zayn's apartment building. Luck seemed to be on his side all of a sudden because just when he was about to press Zayn's doorbell, a woman with a small child came out, and Liam thanked her profoundly for not closing the door on him and letting him in.

Then he ran upstairs, and only then did he take a break to catch his breath and collect himself.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

It took a few moments for Zayn to roll out of bed, pick up the phone, realize it wasn't the phone that was ringing at this ungodly hour of the morning, but his doorbell. Figuring out that it was the one _upstairs_ , not the one downstairs took another few seconds, and Zayn was annoyed when he finally got to the door – which someone was now knocking against rather insistently.

"Oh for fuck's sake, I'm here. Calm your fucking tits."

Zayn was not a morning person. 

He fumbled with the keys for a moment, then finally opened the door, and saw the last person he ever expected to show up on his doorstep at 7 am. 

"Liam?" he asked incredulously. "What…"

"I'm sorry!" Liam blurted out. "I'm so sorry about last night, I was a right arsehole. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or push you away or ruin your evening; I just got really, really confused, and god, you look like you do in that underwear ad, except better and… wow."

Zayn's brows shot up and he looked down at himself – he _was_ wearing black boxer-briefs – then back up at Liam, blinking slowly. "Um… what?"

Liam's cheeks were flushed and he was adorable, and if Zayn hadn't just woken up, he would've already had the courtesy to ask Liam to come in and have a cup of coffee. But his brain was still processing that he was awake before eleven and that Liam was here, at his place, telling him he looked good and that he was sorry about last night. 

When Liam kept staring at him, Zayn realized that he should probably say something. 

"Uh… right. It's fine. I'm not mad at you; I guess I kind of caught you off guard and it's not like I even knew what I was doing, so… no need to apologize."

Liam shrugged. "Still, I shouldn't have taken off like that; it was rude, and I didn't mean to do it. I'm sorry."

Zayn waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "Don't worry about it, mate."

He licked his lips. "Um. Do you want to come in, have some coffee?"

Liam seemed oddly shy now, and Zayn couldn't suppress a small smile. It was adorable. 

"Sure, if you don't mind… and god, it's so early – I didn't even think before coming here. I didn't mean to wake–"

"It's fine," Zayn interrupted him, touching his arm lightly and giving him a reassuring smile when Liam was about to apologize again. "I should get up earlier anyway. Come in. I don't mind."

He guided Liam inside, closing the door behind him and taking him into the kitchen. There, he made them some coffee and inspected the fridge, looking for something to eat. As it turned out, it was time for him to go grocery shopping, so he couldn't offer Liam anything. 

"It's okay," Liam said, wrapping his hands around the mug of coffee Zayn had set down in front of him a couple of minutes earlier. "You know I rarely have breakfast."

"Which is not good for you," Zayn scolded, shaking his head. "But okay, if you don't mind."

He sat down on a chair across from Liam and watched him as they both sipped their coffee in silence. 

"So," he said after a moment. "You saw my ad then?"

Liam nodded, and Zayn raised a brow curiously when he noticed the faint blush on Liam's cheeks. It was ridiculously cute when that happened. 

"Yeah," he said after a moment. "It looks amazing, Zayn. Huge posters in the Underground – I didn't even know it was going that well for you! You never tell me anything."

Zayn smiled. "They were actually only put up the other night; I didn't want to jinx it by telling people about it before, you know? I can't believe it either, to be honest. But it looks good, huh?"

Liam nodded. "It does. You look amazing. I can't believe they removed your tattoos, though. That's just wrong. Why would they do that?"

Zayn shrugged. "Yeah, they said they'd leave them at first but then decided to go in a "clean" direction. Guess my tats just weren't bad-ass enough."

He smiled a little, and Liam frowned. "I think they're quite bad-ass."

Zayn laughed. "Thanks," he said softly. 

Their eyes met and they looked at each other in silence for a moment, and now it was _Zayn's_ turn to blush a little. That never happened. Huh. 

He reached for his coffee again and sipped, wondering if Liam really liked the pictures. And then he wondered what it meant that Liam had felt the need to come here and apologize the moment he'd seen them. Either seeing them had reminded him of the previous night and how suddenly he'd disappeared, or he _really_ liked the posters and actually returned Zayn's feelings. That last option was a little far-fetched, Zayn had to admit, but he couldn't help hoping for it to be true…

They drank their coffee until Liam broke the silence several minutes later. "I actually need to go to work now – sorry for kicking you out of bed, again. I know you like to sleep in, so this probably wasn't the best time for me to apologize. I didn't even realize that not everyone in the world gets up as early as me."

He gave him a sheepish smile, which Zayn returned. They both got up, and Zayn walked Liam to the door. 

"So, we're okay then?" he asked after a moment, blinking when Liam turned around to face him. He was really close, and Zayn caught a noseful of his cologne, which smelled so good…

"Yeah," Liam murmured. "We're good."

Zayn looked at him and swallowed hard, tempted to kiss Liam again. And since he apparently had no willpower or control over his own body, he did, leaning in and pressing a short, but hard kiss against Liam's lips. 

When he drew back, Liam looked stunned, but made no move to run away. Progress. 

Deciding to take a chance, Zayn slid his hands onto Liam's arms and pulled him close when he kissed him again, parting his lips and deepening the kiss a little, his heart skipping a beat when Liam returned it hesitantly. 

They kissed for a little while, and Zayn was a little breathless when he drew back. Their noses brushed, and Zayn swallowed hard. "Any plans for tonight?" he whispered. He didn't even mean for it to sound so seductive – but it did. 

Liam's eyes opened at that and studied Zayn curiously. Zayn bit his lip, wondering if he'd taken it too far again…

"I'd like that," Liam murmured. "I just..."

He frowned in concentration for a moment. "I'm confused."

Zayn brushed Liam's hair back and nodded. "I understand," he said softly. "We can talk about it tonight, if you like."

Liam nodded, looking relieved. "Okay," he whispered. 

Silence fell over them again, the tension almost palpable, until Liam finally stepped back. "I really need to go to work."

Zayn nodded, a little disappointed that he couldn't just grab Liam and take him to bed – but obviously work came first. Hopefully one day, _he_ would be Liam's first choice. 

He blinked and took a deep breath, reaching for the door to steady himself. "All right. Say hello to your real life porn stars for me, will you?"

He grinned when Liam blushed and groaned. "Oh god, I almost forgot about them. I'll actually have to face them, won't I?"

Zayn shrugged. "Looks like it."

Liam sighed heavily, then gave him a little smile. "See you later then."

Zayn bit his lip as he smiled back, nodding. "Yeah. See you."

He watched Liam go down the stairs, then closed the door behind himself and leaned against it, sucking in a deep breath. 

Wow. Getting up that early had definitely not been the worst thing in the world.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Louis and Harry were on their way to work. Harry was telling Louis some story about his best mate Niall who was a riot, from what Louis could tell, and Louis was watching him and smiling. When he'd surprised Harry by showing up at his house this morning with a cupcake and some hot chocolate, Harry had looked so happy. His whole face had lit up when he'd spotted Louis, and Louis's day was officially made. It only took one of his boyfriend's adorable smiles to make him feel good these days.

Watching Harry now as he talked about his friend, smiling hugely and tripping over his own feet occasionally, Louis wondered how it was possible that this cute little cuppy-cake wanted him. Louis knew that he probably didn't deserve Harry, but he would do anything he could to make sure that he did. 

He waspulled out of his reverie when Harry nudged him. "Oh, I totally forgot to tell you, but remember last night?"

Louis cocked an eyebrow. "How could I forget, babycakes?"

Harry grinned at that and shrugged. "Good point. But I was gonna tell you this last night and forgot – but are you aware that we actually had a bit of an audience?"

Louis's brows shot up and he almost dropped his coffee in shock. He stopped walking and stared at Harry, his heart racing. If someone at the office had seen them, it was _bad_ , and he couldn't believe Harry had kept something this huge from him. 

"Who?" he managed when Harry stopped as well and turned to face him. 

Harry was grinning, obviously not seeing the seriousness of the situation. "Liam."

Louis blinked. "Liam? But… how do you know?"

"I saw him," Harry said, shrugging. 

"Fuck," Louis groaned, sitting down on a bench and rubbing his forehead. "This is bad, Harry – what if he's telling your father? I could lose my job – or worse, I could lose _you_."

Harry frowned and sat down next to him, touching his thigh gently. "I don't think he's gonna tell."

Louis sighed. "How can you be sure? Liam's a good guy, but…"

"Well," Harry said, looking thoughtful, "first of all, he's responsible for me. If he told my dad that you fucked me, you wouldn't be the only one in trouble, right? He would be as well. Besides… he's not going to tell, trust me. He was definitely enjoying it."

Louis's brows shot up. "What?"

Harry grinned, his cheeks flushing a little. "He was standing there, watching us and touching himself."

"He _was_?" Louis couldn't keep the shock off his face – for some reason, it was hard to imagine Liam doing _anything_ sexual, let alone wank over his colleagues getting each other off. 

"Yup," Harry said cheerfully, sipping some more hot chocolate. Louis smiled when he noticed the foam on his boyfriend's upper lip, and couldn't stop himself from cupping Harry's face between his hands, leaning in and kissing it away. 

He licked his lips, and returned Harry's smile. "Okay. So I guess if he liked watching us, he won't tell anyone. Does he know you saw him?"

Harry's grin widened. "Yeah," he said, getting up and tugging Louis with him – they weren't late yet, but had to hurry if they wanted to get to the office on time. Walking again, Harry continued, "I made eye contact, so he definitely knows I saw him."

Louis snorted. "Poor guy – he's probably so embarrassed right now. Which is great, because it gives me the opportunity to make him really, really uncomfortable with some references tolast night."

He smirked. 

"You're evil," Harry said fondly, making Louis laugh. 

"Damn right, I am."

He wrapped an arm around Harry as they walked the rest of the way, only letting go when they rounded the corner and saw their building. When they approached it, Louis saw Liam coming from the other direction, and frowned when he was suddenly struck by an inexplicable surge of jealousy. 

Well, not really _that_ inexplicable because… Liam had seen Harry naked. He'd seen all of him, probably, and the thought of someone else wanking while thinking about _Louis's_ boyfriend apparently brought out his jealous side. He slid his hand onto Harry's waist, under his jacket so no one could see; his grip possessive. 

When they were close enough for Liam to hear them, Louis couldn't stop himself from torturing the other man a little. He licked his lips and smirked. "Morning Payne! You look a bit flushed. Did you have fun last night?"

Liam looked up in surprise, then spotted them and looked shiftily between the two of them, his discomfort obvious. His face turned a shade of red that Louis had never seen on a human face before, and he couldn't keep the smirk off his lips.

"It was, uh, good, yeah," Liam murmured, then quickly reached for the door and entered the building without another word.

Louis cracked up until Harry's elbow hit his ribs, and Louis frowned. "Hey! What was that for?"

Harry was giggling too and looking up at him with that adorable smile again. "Be nice," he whispered. 

Louis grinned and leaned in to whisper into Harry's ear, "I'm not sure I _can_ be nice. Being a little mischievous and evil is so much more fun, don't you agree? You seemed to enjoy my dark side last night…"

He wiggled his brows and licked his lips suggestively, letting Harry process that. He enjoyed Harry's blush immensely and chuckled as they walked to the lift. It was going to be a fun day…


	18. Chapter 18

Liam couldn't consider it a 'fun' day, exactly. He'd barely arrived at work and Louis had already managed to make him blush. And feel uncomfortable. Because Louis's smirk suggested that he knew Liam had watched him and Harry the night before, and Liam had really hoped Harry would be able to keep that to himself. Facing _him_ after that awkward (yet extremely hot) moment the night before was hard enough without Louis knowing about it and throwing it in his face. 

He reached the lift and prayed that it would arrive and the doors close before Harry and Louis could get there – but no such luck. The two younger men managed to slip in just after Liam. And of course, the three of them were alone in the elevator. Fantastic. 

Liam cleared his throat and stared at the back of the two other boys' heads, relieved that they didn't turn around at least. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked around awkwardly, wishing the elevator could be a little faster. 

He bit his lip and looked up as the numbers changed on the display, then looked back at the doors when they were almost there. So close… maybe he'd manage to get to his office before Louis came up with another comment. 

"Excuse me," he said when the lift arrived on their floor, pushing past them. 

"Have a nice day, Liam," Louis practically _chirped_.

Liam closed his eyes, _so_ embarrassed, but he was glad when Louis didn't add anything else. 

He managed to make it to his office and closed the door, leaning against it. 

This was going to be a looong day. But at least he could look forward to an evening with Zayn… which made his stomach flip with nervousness whenever he thought about it.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Harry felt bad all morning after that awkward moment with Liam by the door and on the elevator. Seeing Liam get so uncomfortable had made him feel really guilty and he could barely focus on work at all. Maybe he shouldn't have told Louis. But he'd felt a little guilty about staring at Liam while Louis had been rimming him – it had kind of felt like cheating, so he'd had to tell Louis. 

But now Liam was uncomfortable, and he didn't want to be responsible for creating a weird atmosphere at the office. 

So after a couple of hours, he got up, grabbed the letters he'd finished typing and left his office, making his way to Liam's. He hesitated, but then knocked and peeked inside, giving Liam a weak wave when he saw that the other man was on the phone. 

Liam's cheeks got a little pink again and Harry took a breath when he waved him inside. He closed the door behind himself and turned to the bookshelf, studying the titles of the big law texts Liam had standing there to give Liam some privacy while he finished his phone call. 

He had no idea what he was going to say – he'd obviously never been in a situation like this before, and he wasn't even sure if Liam _wanted_ to talk about this. Which didn't really matter because Harry knew things would only get _more_ awkward if they didn't discuss it. 

He looked up when Liam hung up, and gave him a tentative smile. "I've got some letters for you," he said, lifting the hand holding the stack of paper. He handed them to Liam, who nodded, eyes fixed on the letters as if they were the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen. 

"Thanks, Harry. I really appreciate your help."

Harry nodded, then bit his lip when an awkward silence fell over them. He nibbled his bottom lip, then took a breath. "Look, Liam, about last night–"

"Harry," Liam interrupted him, heaving a heavy sigh. "I just… can we not make this any more awkward than it already is? Please?"

He finally looked up to meet his eyes, and Harry flushed. "I just wanted to apologize," he said softly, his voice small. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, not by staring at you last night, and not by telling Louis. I didn't know he was going to even mention it or I wouldn't have told him. I just… I'm sorry."

Liam looked like he was in intense pain for a moment, and Harry felt horrible. But then Liam sighed again and met his eyes. "It's fine, Harry. I'm not mad at you, I'm not mad at Louis. And I'm… sorry too. I shouldn't have watched – what you guys were doing was obviously very intimate and not something anyone should get to watch, so… I hope you can forgive me as well."

Harry took a breath and nodded. "Of course, Liam. And I can't blame you for wanting to watch – Louis is ridiculously hot, isn't he?"

He smiled, and Liam raised an eyebrow. "You both are," he said softly, returning Harry's smile. 

Harry blushed a little but then smiled, and nodded. "Um… so you're not mad because we're in love and seeing each other either? I know we're technically not supposed to, but… how do you feel about this?"

Liam bit his lip. "I can't deny that I was surprised to see you two together. I had no idea. It's not really my place to tell you what to do either. If you feel this is right for you, Harry, then… by all means, go for it. Just be careful, all right? Louis _is_ a little older than you, and I'd hate for you to get your heart broken."

Harry frowned. "He wouldn't break my heart," he promised. "He loves me. I don't know many things, but I do know that he's serious about me. And I'm serious about him. There's honestly nothing to worry about. But… thank you. For being worried."

Liam smiled a little. "I'm always worried, Harry. Especially because you're so young and maybe haven't been in love before… I just hope Louis doesn’t end up hurting you."

"He won't," Harry said firmly, wondering why Liam was insisting on this. Did he know something Harry didn't? Hmmm.

He took a breath and gave the other man a smile. "Well, I'm glad we cleared this up. I like you, and I just don't want anything weird between us, you know?"

Liam nodded. "I get it. But really – it's all right. We're okay. But Harry? Please don't do this kind of thing here anymore. It's just too risky – what if your dad had seen you? Or someone else? They could use this to get you two into trouble, so… be more careful, yeah?"

Harry bit his lip and nodded. "I promise." He nodded, cringing a little at the thought of his father catching him and Louis in the act. That would _not_ be good. 

He took a breath and finally smiled, relieved that Liam had been so cool about the whole thing, then nodded. "Right. I should get back to work then and let you do your own stuff. See you later?"

"Sure."

Harry waved, then left, taking a deep breath when he was out of the room. That had gone surprisingly well, and he was _very_ relieved that Liam had reacted as cool as he had. If he'd been anyone else, he might have been a bit of a dick about the whole thing.

He was about to go back to his own office when he heard a female voice calling Louis's name. He tilted his head and considered ignoring it, but he was curious – and wanted to see Louis. Even though they'd only been apart for about two hours today, he already missed him and wanted to see him. He carefully approached the reception area, where the voice had come from. Then he frowned a little when he spotted Eleanor, the secretary, smiling coyly at Louis. He didn't like the expression on her face at all.

"Louis, darling, it's been so long since we've gone out and partied," she stated, coming around her desk and leaning against it, making her already short skirt ride up a little more. She had nice legs, Harry had to admit, then slapped himself inwardly for thinking that. 

He moved even closer to them, trying to hear what Louis's response to that would be. 

"We haven't!" his boyfriend exclaimed, stopping at her desk and smiling at her. Why was he _smiling_? 

Eleanor returned the smile, and Harry's frown deepened. She had a flirty smile on her shiny, pink lips and Harry didn't like the almost predatory expression on her face. "So tell me, when do you have some time for me, Louis? Or do you only hang out with Curly these days?" She raised a brow. "You seem quite taken with him."

Harry scowled – Curly? Really? How _unoriginal_.

Still, he found himself leaning in, not wanting to miss what Louis had to say about him.

Louis just smiled that adorable smile of his, and winked. He actually _winked_. And then didn't say anything about Harry at all. "I don't know when I'll have time, love. We'll have to see."

Harry was pretty much fuming now – why did Louis call her 'love'? What the hell was going _on_?

He couldn't listen to this anymore. His heart was racing and he was suddenly angry and terrified at the same time; scared of losing Louis to this… girl. He turned around and walked away, taking a deep breath and looking between Louis's door and his own. 

After a moment of thinking, he opted for Louis's office and entered it, closing the door behind himself. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he knew that he had to remind Louis whom he belonged to.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

After a relatively brief chat with Eleanor – who was sometimes hard to get rid of – Louis made his way back to his office and raised a brow in surprise when the first thing he saw was Harry. That was never a bad thing. 

"Hey babycakes," he said cheerfully, giving him a smile and closing the door. 

He let his eyes travel up his boyfriend's body, sighing happily as he looked at him appreciatively… then paused when he saw the expression on Harry's face. He almost looked angry. 

"What's wrong?" he asked, instantly concerned. He made his way over to Harry and slid his arms around his waist. "Did something happen?"

"No," Harry said, looking at him intently. Louis looked back at him, and kind of felt like Harry was staring straight into his soul and waiting for him to say something; it was kind of unnerving. 

"Um… Harry?" he tried after a moment, looking at him curiously.

Harry frowned and finally broke the eye contact, leaning against him. "I'm sorry. Just missed you. Kiss me?"

He looked up at him, green eyes seductive and innocent at the same time, and Louis melted a little. Like he'd say no to _that_ …

He tilted Harry's chin up, sliding his hand onto his cheek and brushing the tips of his fingers over his soft, slightly flushed skin. He smiled when Harry leaned in, lips already a little pursed as he waited for the kiss impatiently. Louis grinned and teased him a little longer, but then decided he'd waited long enough, and leaned in to brush his lips over Harry's. 

He sighed contentedly and tightened his arms around him, pulling him close. Then he reversed their positions and leaned against the desk, pulling Harry almost _into_ him as he tightened his arms around him and slid his hands down to Harry's ass. He cupped it possessively, his eyes fluttering closed as their tongues slid against each other slowly; the kiss warm, wet and perfect in every way. 

He wasn't sure how long they stood there kissing lazily – but probably a good few minutes – before Louis heard the door open and a sharp intake of breath. He opened his eyes without breaking the kiss and found himself looking at Liam whose eyes were wide and who seemed frozen. Louis had a feeling that's what he must've looked like the night before. 

For some reason, Louis still didn't stop kissing Harry and just kept staring at Liam. He didn't know why, but for some reason, he was jealous. It wasn't like Harry had given him any indication that he was in any way interested in Liam, but just the fact that Liam had seen Harry naked the night before, brought out the green-eyed monster in Louis and he felt the need to show Liam that Harry was off limits and _his_. 

After what felt like almost a whole minute, Liam seemed to snap out of it, jumped into the room and closed the door with an audible bang. 

Harry jumped in Louis's arms and drew back, turning his head and tossing his curls into Louis's face. "Ow," he murmured, then blinked before focusing on Liam. "Can we help you?"

"Are you two _insane_?" Liam hissed when he found his voice. "Snogging and not locking the door – do you _want_ to be found out?"

Harry bit his lip, flushing in embarrassment but Louis just raised an eyebrow, shrugging. "No risk, no fun, right?"

Harry frowned at him and Louis smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

Liam cleared his throat. "Seriously, Louis, you're supposed to be the responsible one here. I don't care that you two are dating, but you've got to be more careful if you care about your career at all."

Louis frowned at him – he didn't like it, but had to admit that Liam was actually right. He kept glaring for a moment, then sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone but you would come in here anyway, and since you already know about us… But you're right. I should've been more careful. I'll keep it in mind for the future."

He looked at him and reluctantly let go of Harry. "We'll continue this later, babycakes."

He stroked Harry's curls, then focused on Liam who looked at them disapprovingly. 

"So, what can I do for you, Liam?"

Liam sighed. "Come by my office later – I need to discuss something work-related with you and I doubt you can focus right now."

Louis grinned. "You may be right about that," he admitted, laughing when Liam shook his head and rolled his eyes, then waved when Liam left, and kissed Harry's nose. 

He studied Harry's face, still sliding his fingers through his hair. "You okay, though? You looked a little mad earlier – is there anything you want to tell me?"

Harry looked back at him and seemed to think about it for a moment – but then shook his head. "No, it's fine. We'll talk later. You should go see Liam; he didn't look very happy. And say sorry for me, okay? I talked to him earlier and kind of promised him we wouldn't do this kind of thing at work anymore, and now we did, so… apologize for me?"

Louis looked at him questioningly; he really wanted to know why Harry had looked upset before – but he wasn't going to force Harry to talk to him either. Whenever Harry was ready, he would tell him. "I will," he said then, nodding. "I'll apologize and… we'll have lunch together, yeah? If you want to?"

Harry finally gave him a smile – a real one – and nodded. "Can't wait."

He leaned in and kissed him again, then left the room. 

Louis took a few seconds to compose himself, then left to go talk to Liam, preparing for the lecture that was pretty much inevitable.


	19. Chapter 19

Louis was completely right, of course. Liam was definitely planning on lecturing him. 

When Louis came in, he'd already prepared a little speech. Waiting till Louis had sat down, Liam then looked at him seriously and cleared his throat. "Louis. I'd like to talk to you about Harry and your… relationship, or whatever you'd like to call it."

He raised a hand when Louis looked like he was going to protest. "Just let me say this, please. Because of you I've caught you two in the act for the second time in twenty-four hours a few minutes ago, so I get to say this."

He licked his lips, thinking. "I know we don't spend a lot of time together, and I'm not exactly your best friend. But I do know a little about your dating habits. You never really struck me as the relationship type. It's not that I think you can't actually _be_ in love, but… all I'm saying is that in the past year, I've only seen you do the casual fling thing. And I think you know what I'm referring to."

Louis had the decency to blush, and nodded. 

Liam continued, "Harry is in love with you. I didn't see it before last night, but now that I know, I've noticed how he looks at you. That boy adores you, Louis. And he's young – only sixteen – and I doubt he's ever felt anything like this before. He's probably willing to believe anything you tell him, which makes him very vulnerable and… I don't want him to get hurt. I won't _let_ him get hurt. So please, Louis, if your intentions aren't one hundred percent pure, you should end it before his feelings for you get even stronger."

He looked at him seriously, while Louis was frowning at him. 

"How dare you suggest I'm only playing with him?" Louis asked after a moment of tense silence. "Do I seem like the type to make an innocent teenager fall in love with me just to break his heart after I've had my fun with him? Seriously, Liam."

Liam sighed. "I didn't mean to offend you, Louis, but… you've got to admit that your recent dating-history doesn't speak in your favour. You _are_ a bit of a heart-breaker, whether you want to be or not. All I'm saying is that if you're not completely sure you won't get bored with Harry after a while, you should end it now rather than later."

"I _am_ serious about him!" Louis snapped, and Liam flinched despite the fact that he'd prepared for this reaction. "Just because a couple of my latest romances didn't work out doesn't mean I'm a cheating arsehole who's only looking for a boy toy. I'm in love with Harry. In fact, I'm just as in love with him as he is with me. And maybe I don't deserve him. Maybe I'm not good enough for him, or maybe no one deserves him. Maybe he's too good for this world. But I love him and I'm not planning on breaking his heart, so calm the fuck down."

Liam narrowed his eyes. "There's no need to yell at me, Louis. I'm just looking out for Harry. So basically, if what you're saying is true, we both only want for him to be happy."

Louis let out a huff, but shrugged. "I suppose so. And yes, I _am_ telling the truth. I can't believe you'd doubt me like that. I'm deeply wounded."

Liam rolled his eyes when Louis tossed his hair back in a very dramatic gesture, and knew that he wasn't seriously mad at him. Which was good. He really only wanted to make sure Harry was in good hands. And he was, clearly. 

"I'm sorry. But Louis… you should try not to, um, kiss him when you're at work. First of all, I'm sure you have more than enough to do – things you're actually getting _paid_ for – and secondly, anyone could walk in on you, especially when you don't lock the door. So please… be more careful. If you're not doing it for yourself, think about Harry."

Louis let out a heavy sigh, but seemed to agree with him. Good. 

Feeling that he'd said enough about this, Liam then steered the conversation to the case he wanted to discuss with Louis, and they spent the next hour doing just that.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Zayn couldn't remember when he'd last spent this much time in front of the mirror. He didn't even need this much time to get ready when he went to a casting – where he actually _had_ to look good. But tonight was his first official date with Liam – or Zayn considered it their first date, at least – so he wanted to look his best. 

He licked his lips as he studied his appearance again, thinking that he probably couldn't do any better. He was wearing black slacks and an actual button-down shirt. It wasn't an outfit he usually wore, but tonight was special. He was taking Liam to a semi-fancy restaurant, so he couldn't go with an overly casual outfit. 

He'd slicked his hair back instead of styling it into his everyday quiff, and had actually shaved – which he usually considered 'optional'. But now that he looked at his hair, he wondered if he was trying too hard. This was _Liam_. It wasn't some stranger he was trying to impress; it was his best friend who knew him inside out, and he really didn't want Liam to think he was only doing this to get him to sleep with him. 

Because that wasn't the point of this date at all. 

Well, a shag would be a nice bonus, obviously, but it wasn't Zayn's main goal. He just wanted to have a nice evening with Liam and find out if Liam maybe returned his feelings. 

He ran a hand through his gelled hair and shook his head. This was all wrong. 

Sighing heavily, he went back into the bathroom, took off his shirt and washed his hair again. He blow-dried it, and in the end, opted for the quiff after all. Instead of the button-down shirt, he chose a black t-shirt and called it good. 

He called the restaurant a second time, just to make sure again that nothing would go wrong later. Then he took a deep breath, sat down on his couch, and waited for it to be time to pick up Liam. 

An hour and a half later, he stood in front of Liam's building, his hand shaking a little as he lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. He was _so_ nervous. No matter what how many times he told himself to calm the fuck down, it didn't seem to work. 

He smoked three cigarettes in quick succession, watching people come out of the building and wondering for how long Liam would make him wait this time. Part of him wanted the other man to take his time, thinking that maybe he'd get his nerves under control if Liam took a little longer. 

He was just finishing his fourth cigarette when he spotted Louis, whom he'd met a couple of times while waiting for Liam, and a handsome boy with thick, dark curls and a huge smile. He grinned to himself; he had a feeling he knew who this was. 

He watched them reach for each other's hands when they walked around the corner of the building and smiled. They did seem in love. And damn, Liam was one lucky guy to have seen them half-naked and in action.

"Hey Zayn," a familiar voice suddenly said behind him, and Zayn jumped a little. He'd been so distracted by Louis and his young boyfriend to notice Liam coming out and approaching him. 

"Hi!" he said, tossing his cigarette away and giving Liam a little smile. He slid his hands into his pockets and bit his lip. 

"Hi," Liam said again, giving him a sweet smile. 

Zayn returned it, and they stood there for a long moment before Zayn snapped out of his momentary trance. "Right, so shall we?"

Liam nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

Zayn nodded back, and led the way, walking in the direction of the restaurant. 

"So, where are you taking me?" Liam asked, and Zayn was relieved to notice that he wasn't the only one who was a little nervous. 

"Just some restaurant I found a while ago. They have everything, so I'm sure you'll find something to eat. Also? Before we get into an argument – I'm paying. I'm taking you out, so I'm paying." He gave him a little smile. "I also made sure to tell them to take all the spoons off the table, so you should be fine."

Liam laughed. "Thanks, Zayn. You're the best."

Zayn grinned. "Glad you think so."

They held the eye contact for a moment before Zayn looked away so he wouldn't accidentally run into a lamp post. 

They arrived at the restaurant a couple of minutes later, and Zayn, all gentleman-like, opened the door and let Liam go in first. Liam gave him a smile, and Zayn took a deep breath as he followed him, feeling a little better now that they were actually here. 

They were led to their table and sat down. Zayn ordered some water; his throat felt completely dry, probably because he was so nervous, and then looked at Liam. 

"So," he said. 

"So," Liam replied, giving him a small, almost hesitant smile. 

Zayn returned it, then took a breath. What to say, what to say…? He thought for a moment, playing with the corner of his napkin; then he glanced up. 

"So, was it awkward this morning?" he asked, remembering Harry and Louis. "Was it as bad as you thought it would be?"

Liam laughed. "Um… it was, a bit. Harry told Louis about seeing me, so Louis kept smirking at me, and… yes. It was a little weird. Then it got weirder when I walked in on them _again_."

Zayn snorted. "Really? What were they doing?"

Liam thanked the waiter as he poured him a glass of water and took a sip before he continued, "Just kissing, fortunately. I was rather relieved. Then I gave them a bit of a lecture about locking the door – or not doing that kind of thing at work at all, and… yeah. I had a bit of a chat with Louis about his intentions."

Zayn was amused and grinning widely as he set the glass back down after taking a few sips himself. "You did? What was that like?"

Liam grinned. "I don't know… I just told him not to break Harry's heart and to be careful… he took it rather well, I think."

Zayn smiled. "It's cute how much you care about this boy. You've only known him for a week."

Liam shrugged. "I just don't want him to get hurt."

Zayn nodded. "I know. It's just such a 'you' thing to do, though, you know? I think it's sweet."

Liam blushed a little and smiled, shrugging. "I just worry."

Zayn looked at him adoringly, hoping he wasn't being too obvious. On the other hand, he did want Liam to know how much he meant to him, so… maybe obvious was good. 

They were interrupted by the waiter as he brought them the menus, and spent the next few minutes studying them and choosing what to eat. Zayn picked a wine to go with their meal, and turned back to Liam when the waiter left with the menus and their order. 

He was trying to think of what to ask him, when Liam started. "About this morning… I'm really sorry I woke you up."

"Don't worry about it," Zayn said again. "Really, I'm glad I was up that early; I actually got some stuff done today, so it was a good thing."

He paused, then added, "Besides… I did get to start my day with one of your amazing kisses, so… I'm not complaining."

He watched Liam blush again and smiled, resisting the urge to reach for Liam's hand. Maybe it was too soon for that. 

"Yeah, about that," Liam said then, biting his lip. Zayn watched him, wondering what Liam had to say about the kiss – and them, in general. 

"Yes?" he prompted when Liam still didn't say anything after half a minute, and looked at him curiously. 

"I don't know what to say," Liam admitted. "I just feel like we should talk about it – about this. I mean… what is this?"

He waved around awkwardly, looking at Zayn with the most adorably confused look on his face. Zayn wanted to kiss him. Again. 

"Well," he said slowly, reaching for his glass again. He brought it up to his lips and sipped some water, then met Liam's eyes. "I guess it is whatever you want it to be, Liam."

Liam looked a little frustrated at that. "You're not helping."

Zayn laughed. "I'm sorry. What I'm saying is that personally, I'd like for it to be a date. But if you're not comfortable with that, or not interested in me that way, or if it's just too soon and you need more time to process, then it can just be two best mates having dinner. Whatever you want, Liam. I mean that. I'm not going to pressure you into anything; I just want you to know how I feel."

Liam looked back at him with those wide puppy eyes, and Zayn licked his lips. "You don't have to say anything – I just… I like you. Obviously – but I like you as more than a friend, so if you're interested in taking our friendship to another… level, then I'd like that very much. But if you'd just like to forget about all of this, then we can do that. I don't want to lose you as a friend, so if you think giving this a try is a bad idea, then… I will accept your decision and we can go back to the way things were before. It'll be hard to get over you, but maybe I'd manage, eventually."

He took a breath and was grateful that the waiter chose that moment to bring the wine to their table. He kept his eyes on the man's hands, watching him uncork the bottle and pour him a little bit of wine. He tasted it, decided it was good, and both their glasses were filled before the waiter left again. 

He reached for his glass and drank some wine, nervous again. He was almost afraid to look at Liam because he didn't know what he was going to say. And even though he kept stressing that things would be okay if Liam didn't want to date him, he desperately hoped that he wanted to give it a try. 

When the silence between them stretched, he made himself look up at Liam. The latter was looking at him and seemed to be deep in thought. Liam finally broke the eye contact and licked his lips. "I don't know, Zayn. Do you think we could still be friends if… if we did try it and it didn't work out? I don't want to be a pessimist here, but you mean so much to me and I really don't want to lose you."

"You won't," Zayn said immediately. "If it doesn't work out, then… I will be fine. I promise. But… you're considering it?" He smiled; he couldn't help it because this was more than he'd ever hoped for. "You like me too?"

Liam managed a little smile and shrugged. "I don't know, Zayn – it came as a huge surprise to me when you kissed me the other night, but since we've now kissed three times, it's kind of undeniable that I'm attracted to you."

A slight blush graced his cheeks, and Zayn melted. He looked at Liam's hand on the table, then reached over and covered it with his own. "You are, huh?" He was still grinning like an idiot, unable to keep the smile off his face. 

Liam rolled his eyes but smiled back. "Yes, Zayn. You're bloody gorgeous and everyone wants you – even me. Are you happy now?"

Zayn nodded. "Yeah. I am." His grin softened into a smile and he squeezed Liam's hand gently. "Seriously, though, you don't know how happy you've just made me. I've waited for this a long time."

Liam raised a brow. "You have? How long? Why didn't you say something before?"

Zayn's stomach flipped a little when Liam turned his hand and brushed his fingertips over his palm. He licked his lips and shrugged. "I don't know… a while. Years, maybe. You've always been important to me, clearly, and it's happened so gradually that I can't really tell when it changed. And I didn't say anything before because you were always busy and never gave me the impression you were interested in a relationship with me or anyone. So I just kept hoping my infatuation with you would pass, but it never did."

Liam tilted his head and gave him a warm smile, clearly flattered, and Zayn just shrugged, returning the smile. 

They sat in silence until their food arrived, and the conversation turned to their jobs and other more trivial things. During dessert, they were just staring at each other, the sexual tension between them growing, and suddenly, both of them couldn't wait to get out of there. Or at least Zayn _thought_ Liam was just as eager as he was. 

He paid and followed Liam outside, where he reached for his hand and pulled him a little closer. He licked his lips, his heart beating fast as he asked, "Do you want to come back to my place for a little bit?"

He looked into Liam's eyes, his mouth going dry when Liam looked back at him with the same hunger in his eyes that was probably reflected in his own. The other man gave a brief nod, and Zayn swallowed hard, nodding as well, his stomach fluttering. 

He took a deep breath, gave Liam a smile, then tugged him along as they walked through the dark streets of London on their way back to Zayn's.


	20. Chapter 20

Liam's heart was racing. He knew exactly where this was going, and while part of him thought that maybe he hadn't thought this through and that it was way too soon for this to happen, considering they'd only decided to actually date barely an hour ago, he knew that he wanted this. 

He was nervous, though. It wasn't that he'd never done this before; he'd had sexual encounters before, with both men and women, but this was completely different. First of all, it wasn't just _any_ man. It was Zayn, his best friend, the boy he'd known forever. And secondly… it had been months since he'd had sex with anyone. What if he didn't remember how to do it anymore? What if it wasn't like riding a bike? What if you could actually forget how to be a good lover? And maybe he'd never _been_ a good lover in the first place. 

Oh fuck. What if he was bad in bed?! 

Liam swallowed hard, his heart beating faster the closer they got to Zayn's flat. He looked over at the other man and couldn't see any sign of nervousness. Zayn seemed perfectly collected and calm as usual. 

Which made sense, really. Zayn used to sleep around. He had much more experience than Liam when it came to just about anything – sex included. He probably never _did_ get nervous in this kind of situation. 

Liam swallowed audibly when they approached Zayn's building. He let go of Zayn's hand reluctantly when the other man pulled out his keys. 

And dropped them twice. 

Liam watched Zayn curiously and his heart skipped a beat when he realized that Zayn's hands were trembling a little. 

So he wasn't the only one who was nervous about this after all! For some reason, that made Liam feel a little better, and he sucked in a deep breath of fresh air when the door finally opened and he followed Zayn inside and to the lift. Zayn pressed the button and they stood there in silence as they waited for the elevator to reach the ground floor. 

Liam wondered if this was possibly the slowest elevator in the world, or if it only felt that way because he was so eager to get up there. Minutes seemed to go by before the doors finally opened.

He licked his lips and let Zayn go in first, and pressed the fourth floor button when the doors closed. 

Liam took another deep breath and glanced over at Zayn, who was looking up at the ceiling before meeting Liam's eyes. Liam's heart stopped for a second when he saw the look in Zayn's eyes. He'd never seen him look at him that way, and it was exciting and scary at the same time. Zayn looked like he wanted to _devour_ him, and Liam wondered if he was ready for this. Could he actually handle Zayn?

A moment later, none of that mattered anymore. 

They made it to the first floor before the tension became too much for both of them and they closed the distance between each other at the same time, drawn together like magnets, their lips crashing together in a hard, passionate kiss. Liam couldn't suppress a moan when he felt Zayn's tongue press against his lips, demanding entrance. He gave it to him willingly, actually sagging with relief when their tongues brushed and he felt Zayn's entire body press against his own. 

And he could clearly feel that Zayn was as hard as he himself was – which gave him the ego boost he needed at that moment. 

Another moan escaped him as he walked Zayn backwards until his back hit the wall of the elevator. He tilted his head as he deepened the kiss and tried to touch any part of Zayn he could reach. He tugged on his t-shirt, slipping a hand under it to touch smooth, warm skin while the other hand sank into Zayn's hair, rubbing the buzzed back of his neck and tugging on the tuft of hair on top of his head. Meanwhile, Zayn's hands were busy tugging Liam's shirt out of his trousers and travelling their way up his back, nails raking over sensitive skin. 

Their tongues fought for dominance and when Liam grazed his teeth over Zayn's bottom lip, the latter let out the most erotic little whimper. Liam drew back at that and stared at him for a moment, but couldn't do that for long; only seconds later, he attacked Zayn's neck with his lips, sucking, licking, biting. 

He couldn't remember ever feeling such a physical, almost animalistic need for someone before. He was so lost in Zayn that it took him a moment or two to realize that they'd actually arrived on Zayn's floor a while ago. He licked his already slightly swollen lips, then blinked when Zayn pushed him out of the elevator and gripped his hand. Liam turned, wanting to get to Zayn's flat as soon as he could, but before he could even get near the door, he felt his back hit the wall. He looked at Zayn curiously but before he could say something, Zayn's lips were on his own again and he forgot about everything else. He kissed Zayn back, sliding his hands down his sides and onto his arse, cupping it and pulling him flush against him. 

Zayn moaned and started grinding against him a little, eliciting a gasp from Liam. He held onto Zayn and rubbed back against him, then moaned out loud when Zayn's hand slid between their bodies and cupped him firmly through his trousers. 

"Oh fuck," he breathed, shivering when Zayn's lips brushed his neck and sucked on it. 

"Shhh," Zayn whispered, his palm still firmly pressed against Liam's erection. Liam let out a shaky breath and tried to keep quiet, but it was _hard_ when Zayn felt so fucking good. 

And then it got worse because Zayn started whispering in his ear. The feel of his warm breath against his slightly sweaty skin, combined with the actual _meaning_ of the words almost made Liam come right away. 

"I want to fuck you," Zayn breathed, his tongue darting out to lick the shell of Liam's ear. "I've been waiting so long for this, Liam, you have no idea. The things I've imagined doing to you over the years… can't wait to actually touch you and try them all out on you." He sucked on his earlobe and Liam swallowed hard when the sensation went straight to his cock. 

Zayn went on, "I'd fuck you right here, right now," he murmured, his voice low and slightly raspy, and it was the sexiest thing Liam had ever heard. "I'd do you right here, in the hallway, but I actually want to be able to look at all of you, so…"

He stepped back and Liam heard himself let out a very embarrassing and unmanly whine when Zayn was out of reach. 

Zayn smiled slowly and licked his lips. "Come on, then."

He turned and walked to his door. Liam just stood there for a moment, not sure if his very shaky legs were able to actually carry him that far, but somehow he managed. He shoved the door closed behind him, then reached for Zayn again, needing him close. 

They kissed as they stumbled to Zayn's bedroom, clothes coming off along the way.

"I can't believe this is happening," Liam murmured against Zayn's lips when he slid his hands onto his arse and cupped it firmly, swallowing hard because it seemed to fit into his hands perfectly. He squeezed it, getting a moan from Zayn in reply, and smiled into the kiss. 

Maybe Zayn wanted to fuck _him_ tonight, but Liam was definitely going to top at some point. But there was time for that; right now, he needed to get Zayn out of those bloody clothes, so he could touch and kiss more of him. 

He reached down and unbuttoned Zayn's pants, tugging them down while Zayn did the same thing to him. Liam slipped a hand between Zayn's legs, rubbing his hand against his erection and squeezing it lightly, moaning when he realized that Zayn was this hard for _him_. 

"God, Zayn," he murmured, trailing kisses down the other boy's neck as he helped him take his trousers and boxers off. 

They were completely naked when their lips found each other again for another long, desperate kiss. Liam gripped Zayn's hips and pulled him flush against him, breath catching in his throat at the feel of Zayn's erection pressed against his own. 

It had been too long. 

He stifled a moan when Zayn pushed him on the bed almost roughly and climbed on top of him, looking down at him with that almost predatory expression. He leaned forward and trailed his lips down Liam's chest, licking, biting, sucking on his nipples while his hand slid down his stomach and then wrapped around his cock. 

Liam's hips jerked up of their own accord and he gasped. "Zaynnn…"

"I love it when you moan my name," Zayn murmured, looking at him with dark eyes while his hand worked steadily on Liam's cock. 

Liam stared back into those eyes and thrust up into Zayn's fist, licking his lips as he moaned Zayn's name again, a small smile on his lips. "You don't need to be gentle," he added after a moment, his eyes fluttering closed when Zayn's hand tightened around him immediately. "I'm not made of glass – you can be a little rough. And Zayn… don't keep me waiting too long, please."

"Fuck," Zayn murmured when Liam spread his legs a little and looked up at him with what he hoped would be a seductive expression. He didn't hear Zayn complaining, so…

His own hand took over for Zayn's, stroking himself slowly, while the other man reached into his bedside drawer and pulled out a condom and a tube of lube. Liam watched him slick his fingers and get back between his legs. He pulled his knees up, exposing himself to Zayn, and stared up at him, eyes closing automatically when he felt Zayn's fingers brush his crack. 

"Mmmhh," he moaned, sucking in a sharp breath when Zayn immediately slid two fingers inside without hesitation. Liam frowned, biting his lip as he tried to breathe and ignore the slight pain. It wasn't that it really _hurt_ ; he just wasn't used to it anymore after not having done this for a while. 

But as it turned out, it _was_ like riding a bike, and only a short time later, he felt himself relaxing around Zayn's fingers. He bit his lip and moaned when Zayn started moving them back and forth, and Liam pushed down on them, needing more. 

His eyes were closed and he was gripping the sheets, his cock harder than ever before – or that's what it felt like anyway. He swallowed hard and groaned when Zayn scissored his fingers and started finger-fucking him harder. He couldn't wait to have him in him. 

He blinked when he suddenly felt soft lips against his own, and opened his eyes, meeting Zayn's. He licked his lips, then reached up, cupped the back of his neck and pulled him down for a long, deep kiss, pouring everything he felt for the other man into that one kiss. 

When he drew back, Zayn's eyes were still closed and he looked a little dazed; his fingers had stilled inside him. Liam watched those long lashes flutter against Zayn's cheekbones when he reached down and wrapped his hand around Zayn's cock, stroking him with teasing slowness. 

"I need you," he whispered, yet still sighed in disappointment when Zayn pulled his fingers out and wiped them on his boxers. 

He watched the other boy roll the condom over his erection expertly, and swallowed hard when their eyes met again. 

Then, Zayn positioned himself above him, pulling his legs over his thighs and leaning forward to shower gentle kisses all over Liam's face. Liam's hands tightened around Zayn's arms and he let out a whimper at how loving those kisses felt, and that was when it suddenly hit him again.

Zayn was in love with him. Zayn had loved him for years, and Liam had been completely oblivious. But now that he gazed into Zayn's eyes and saw the way he looked at him, it seemed so obvious. How could he have missed it for all those years? Either Zayn was a better actor than people gave him credit for, or Liam really was as oblivious as everyone said. 

He reached up and touched Zayn's cheek, brushing a thumb over his bottom lip. Zayn's eyes closed for a second and he leaned into the touch immediately, looking happier than Liam had seen him in years. 

His stomach fluttered again and he bit his lip for a moment, then pulled Zayn down into a deep, slow kiss, only breaking it for a second when Zayn pushed into him until he was all the way in. Liam breathed shakily and wrapped both arms around Zayn tightly, holding onto him. 

"God," he breathed as he adjusted to Zayn's length inside him, staying like that for a long moment, just holding Zayn and listening to his heart beat. When he was sure he could take it, he leaned in and whispered, "Move, baby."

Zayn didn't have to be told twice and started moving slowly at first, giving Liam the necessary time to get used to this; then he sped up a little, moaning into Liam's ear. 

It was the sexiest sound he'd ever heard. 

He reached down between their bodies and stroked himself to full hardness again, clenching around Zayn when the other man sped up, thrusting harder, giving in to his body's demands. 

When Zayn suddenly pulled out, Liam let out a disappointed grunt and looked up at Zayn searchingly. But only a moment later, he was tugged up onto Zayn's lap and moaned when he slid back down onto his cock, wrapping himself around Zayn. He pushed himself up, moving on Zayn's cock. 

They were so close. Their breaths mingled, drops of sweat pearling on their bodies as they moved together, the only sound in the room the occasional moan and their heavy breathing. 

"Liam," Zayn murmured against his neck, his voice full of emotion, as he trailed kisses up and down his neck and shoulder, his hands roaming over Liam's back, gripping his ass, clutching him desperately.

Liam was getting close, feeling Zayn's cock brushing his prostate repeatedly and the feel of his cock trapped between their bodies was almost too much, and he knew it would take mere moments before he would come. He pushed Zayn down on his back and pinned him to the mattress, staring down at him intently as he kept lifting his hips and pushing down against Zayn's thrusting hips, heart racing in his chest. He was close – so close…

He gasped when Zayn's hand wrapped around his cock again and fell forward against Zayn, whimpering helplessly against his shoulder when he felt himself begin to crest, and moments later, the familiar wave of pleasure washed over him and he came over Zayn's hand, his stomach, his whole body tensing in Zayn's arms and tightening around his cock.

He didn't stop moving, wanting Zayn to come inside him, wanting to watch him lose it the way he had just moments ago. Zayn thrust up into him and let out a breathy, raspy moan when he lost control and came as well, twitching inside him, fingers digging into his back. 

Liam slowly stopped moving and let Zayn slip out of him; but stayed on top of him, despite the fact that they were both hot, sweaty and sticky. It was the best Liam had felt in a really long time. 

They caught their breaths slowly, fingers exploring the other's sweaty skin until they slowly recovered from the force of their orgasms. Liam brushed a kiss over Zayn's jaw and nuzzled him, sliding his arms under Zayn and holding him close when the other man did the same to him. 

They were wrapped around each other and it had been a long time since Liam had felt this… content.

"Thank you," Zayn whispered all of a sudden, so softly that Liam almost didn't catch it. Almost. 

He lifted his head and looked at Zayn curiously. "Thank you?" he murmured. "Thank _you_. I mean, you've been telling me I needed to get laid for ages – turns out you were right."

He grinned a little, then touched Zayn's face tenderly. "Though I don't think it would've been quite this fantastic with anyone else," he whispered, smiling a little when he noticed the faint blush on Zayn's cheeks. 

"It was. Amazing, that is," Zayn said softly, and leaned forward to press a kiss to the corner of Liam's mouth. Liam nuzzled him, closed his eyes and breathed in Zayn's intoxicating scent, which was a mix of cologne, cigarette smoke, sweat and sex. It was the best smell in the world, as far as he was concerned. 

"So, was this hotter than what you witnessed the other day?" Zayn asked after a moment, the smirk evident in his voice. "Harry and Louis, I mean?"

Liam had to laugh. "Yeah. Definitely. They've got a lot to learn. I'm sure we could teach them a thing or two. And this was only the first time for us." He grinned at the other man and snuggled into him again, sighing happily. He was grateful that Zayn seemed to understand that he would need a little time to process everything that had happened in the last few hours, and that he had a lot of thinking to do. He needed to figure out how he felt about Zayn and whether this was going to work out.

Although maybe, it was time to stop thinking. 

Maybe it was time to stop being afraid of what might or might not happen. 

Maybe it was time to follow his heart this time and just let himself fall…


	21. Chapter 21

Meanwhile, Harry and Louis were on their way to Harry's house, walking in silence. Harry was lost in thought; the events of the day still bothering him. Not the fact that he and Louis had made out in Louis's office – that part had been brilliant. But he couldn't get the image of Louis and Eleanor together out of his mind. He didn't even want to think about it, but whenever he thought he was over it, his brain seemed to find a way to remind him of Eleanor's flirting and Louis's charming smiles back at her, and the fact that Louis hadn't mentioned he was actually seeing Harry now. 

The reasonable part of him knew that Louis obviously had no choice – no one at work was supposed to know about them, and if Eleanor found out, the whole office would probably know about it the next day. Harry didn't know her, hadn't exchanged more than two words with her, but he had a feeling she liked to gossip. But none of that explained why Louis had felt the need to be so bloody charming. And their brief conversation had given Harry the impression that they knew each other pretty well and that they'd definitely "partied" together before, whatever that was supposed to mean. 

He frowned at the ground and blinked when Louis stopped walking. Looking up, he realized that they'd arrived in front of his house, and turned to face Louis, who was looking at him with an unreadable expression. 

"Hm?"

Louis shook his head. "Nothing," he said quietly, pulling Harry a little closer and sliding his arms around him. "I just have a feeling something's bothering you, and you're not telling me what it is, even though you should know you can tell me anything. You know that, right?"

Harry nodded. "I know," he murmured. "It's nothing, Louis. I'm just being silly. And kind of tired."

He bit his lip. "Do you want to come in for a moment?"

Louis tilted his head. "I'd like to, yes, but if you're tired, you should probably just get some rest."

Harry nibbled his lip, thinking, then smiled. "I'm not _that_ tired…"

Louis returned the smile and leaned in to capture his lips in a quick, warm kiss. Harry shivered and leaned against Louis. After a little while, he stepped back, keeping his hand wrapped around Louis's. "Come on then."

He tugged Louis towards the door, fumbled for his key and unlocked the door a couple of seconds later. Harry watched Louis's face as the other man took everything in. When Louis's eyes finally fastened on him again, he gave him a smile. "I like it. Can I see your room, though?"

Harry smiled. "Sure, let's go."

He tugged him up the stairs, groaning when Louis stopped a couple of times in the staircase to gush over a few pictures of Harry as a child and young teenager – "Is this you? Oh my _GOD_ , look at you! So adorable! Those eyes! And your hair wasn't even curly then; how odd! Cutest kid ever, though!" – making Harry blush and wonder why his dad had felt the need to hang those up. He was pretty sure he only wanted to embarrass him. They finally managed to make their way to the first floor, and Harry took a breath when he opened the door to his room. He hoped Louis would like it.

Inside, he quickly shoved a few clothes under the bed, fluffed up his pillows and plopped down on the bed. Louis walked around, inspecting some corners of his room – which was pretty plain and clean for a teenager's – and finally came back, sitting down on the bed next to him. "It's very you," he said softly, giving him a smile. 

Harry grinned. "Old-fashioned and boring?"

Louis laughed. "No. Clean, classy, lovely, warm and comfortable."

He smiled, leaning in to brush a kiss over Harry's lips. Then he glanced down at the bed. "So… am I right in assuming that this bed hasn't seen any… action?"

He gave him that adorable crinkly smile that Harry adored so much, looking for a moment more like a mischievous five year old than a grown man of almost twenty. Harry couldn't help smiling back, and raised an eyebrow. "You're completely right… Care to change that?"

He shrugged off his jacket and moved to sit on Louis's lap, grinning as he leaned in to kiss him. Louis's hands slid onto his hips, rubbing them gently, and Harry let out a contented sigh. The kiss grew deeper and more passionate, their tongues sliding against each other slowly, soft sounds of pleasure escaping both of them as their hands slipped under the other's shirt, stroking and exploring. 

Harry pushed Louis down on the bed, kissing his collarbone and neck, sucking and biting a little, grinning against Louis's skin when the other boy let out a breathy moan. 

Harry squeaked when Louis's hands slid up his sides and he flipped him over. He slid a leg over Louis when the other boy moved on top of him, kissing his lips again, their heartbeats and breaths quickening with every heated kiss. 

"Louis," Harry gasped when Louis started grinding his hips against his, showing him how painfully hard he already was. His eyes fluttered closed and he hummed contentedly when Louis pushed up his shirt and bent down to trail open-mouthed kisses down his torso. His hands were still on his waist, rubbing slow circles into his skin. 

Harry looked down to watch Louis trace his happy trail with his tongue, his breath catching in his throat when Louis tugged the zipper of his trousers down with his teeth. Louis's eyes twinkled when he looked up at him with that smug little grin, and Harry groaned. "Louuuis…"

"Yes, Harry?" Louis asked teasingly, popping the button of his trousers open and tugging them down over his hips. Harry's tongue darted out to wet his dry lips, and he pushed himself up on his elbows, eyes fixed on Louis. Louis was looking up at him with big, innocent eyes while his fingers slipped under the waistband of Harry's briefs, tugging them down until Harry's cock sprang free. 

Louis leaned forward and Harry looked at him expectantly, groaning when he felt Louis's warm breath ghosted over the sensitive skin. 

"You're a bloody tease," Harry muttered. Louis merely smiled. 

"Am I? Would a tease do… this?" He traced the underside of Harry's cock with the tip of his tongue, exerting just enough pressure to drive Harry crazy. 

"Yes," Harry gasped. He slid his hand into Louis's hair, trying to force his head down in order to get more of the other boy's amazing mouth on his erection – but Louis had other plans. He removed Harry's hand from his hair and sat up, moving to straddle Harry's thighs. 

He looked down at him with a little smile, then slowly pulled his shirt up, revealing that tiny little belly that Harry wanted to bury his face in. "What about this? Is this me being a tease?" Louis's voice was soft and low, almost a _purr_ , and Harry swallowed hard, his cock twitching in response. 

"Yes," he whispered, huffing in frustration when Louis pulled his shirt down again. A moment later, however, his expression softened because Louis was unbuttoning his shirt and sliding it off his shoulders. He looked up at him dreamily, shivering when Louis looked back at him with intense hunger reflected in his eyes. 

Harry reached for Louis's arm and tugged him down into a hard kiss, his arms coming up to wrap around the older boy. He moaned when Louis's teeth tugged on his bottom lip, and let go of him briefly to move his hands down to Louis's crotch. He opened his trousers quickly and tugged them down over his hips before cupping Louis's ass and pulling him down. It took a moment of struggling and squirming for them to get their cocks aligned, but once they were, Harry moaned and thrust up against Louis, desperate for more friction. 

"God, Louis," he breathed when the kiss broke, and stared up at the other boy, panting heavily. "I want you. I want you so badly."

He stared up at Louis who was looking back at him with the same expression. "I want you too, baby. You have no idea. Been thinking about this all day."

He leaned in to suck on Harry's tongue, making him groan, then drew back with a satisfied smirk. He moved down to Harry's stomach again, circling his bellybutton with his tongue. Then he sucked on the spot just below his navel, and Harry sucked in a breath. He hadn't even known that spot was so sensitive – but when Louis touched him anywhere, his body was suddenly one huge erogenous zone and everything felt so fucking amazing. 

Louis was breathing on his cock again – but this time, he wasn't teasing because only seconds later, Harry felt the other boy's hand wrap around his length, stroking him slowly. Harry's eyes fluttered closed and he relaxed, his hips thrusting forward, wanting more. 

He slid his hand back into Louis's hair, messing it up, tugging on it and pushing Louis's head down without even realizing it, desperate for more of Louis's magical mouth. At the first contact of Louis's lips with his cock, Harry gasped, and then Louis _finally_ took all of him into his mouth, engulfing his cock in wet heat, and Harry was in heaven. Nothing could ever feel better than this, he was sure of this. 

Then, Louis started sucking and Harry could only manage incoherent little sounds and babbling that didn't even make sense to _him_. He had a feeling Louis approved, though – he seemed to like rendering Harry speechless – or close to it. 

For long minutes, all Harry could focus on was Louis's mouth and the amazing things it was doing to his cock – but that changed rapidly when he heard a noise outside that made him sit upright and tug on Louis's hair a little harder than necessarily. 

"Ow! Bloody hell, Harry, what was that for?" Louis complained as he pulled off Harry's cock, looking at him with a frown and rubbing the top of his head. 

"Shh!" Harry hissed, covering Louis's mouth with his hand. He sat there for a moment, listening intently, then jumped off the bed – and forgot that he still had his trousers around his knees, and landed on the floor with a loud thump. "Aah, fuck!"

He scrambled to get back to his feet, then tugged the curtain aside and looked out into the darkness. He squinted, then squeaked when he saw his suspicion confirmed and whirled around to face Louis. "My dad's home!" 

Louis's eyes widened comically and he seemed frozen. 

" _Move!_ " Harry hissed. "Do you want your boss to see you here with his bloody son, half-naked and horny? We need to get you out of here _now_."

That, Louis seemed to understand, and in a matter of seconds, he'd tugged his trousers back up and grabbed his shirt from the floor. Harry was doing the same, buttoning his pants and tugging his t-shirt back down before grabbing Louis's wrist and pulling him out of the room and down the stairs. 

"But won't he see me if I leave now?" Louis whispered, a hint of panic in his voice. 

"Back door," Harry hissed in reply, stopping when they reached the last couple of stairs. He leaned forward to peek around the corner; then he quickly pulled Louis down the rest of the way and into the kitchen. He opened the back door and pushed Louis out, giving him a quick and apologetic kiss. "I'll call you later – I'm so so so sorry about this. Go around the corner of the house and you'll see the street – I love you!"

With that, he slammed the door in a still half-naked Louis's face. Just in time, too, because a moment later, the front door opened and closed, giving Harry just enough time to pull the zipper of his trousers up before his father called for him. "Harry?"

"Yes, dad, in here!" Harry took a deep breath as he heard his father's footsteps coming closer. He looked up at him when the older man stood in the doorway, and gave him a tentative smile. "Hi."

His father looked at him for a moment, and then, surprisingly, returned the smile. "Hi. What are you up to?"

Harry felt his cheeks heat up a little and shrugged. "Just… looking for food."

His father nodded. "I think there's not much left… do you want to order pizzas and have dinner together?"

Harry's brows shot up in surprise, and for a moment, he was stunned into silence. He couldn't even remember the last time his father had asked him to have dinner with him, so this came as a huge surprise. A welcome one, though, as Harry missed spending time with his dad. 

"Sure," he said finally, giving him a huge smile. "I'd like that."

"All right," his father said, smiling back. After a moment, his brow furrowed. "Is that yours?" he asked. 

Harry raised a brow and looked down. His heart almost stopped when he spotted Louis's tie on the floor. He must've dropped it when he'd left. Harry bent down to pick it up, his cheeks heating up a little. "Um… yeah. Do you like it?"

His father looked at it thoughtfully for a moment, then shrugged. "Yeah. It's nice. Looks kind of familiar… I think someone at the office has a similar one."

Harry swallowed hard and gave him a tentative smile, watching his father leave briefly to put away his briefcase and take off his jacket. 

Harry let out a breath. Phew. Close one. 

They ordered the pizzas and talked as they sat waiting for their food to arrive. His father actually showed some interest in what Harry had been doing lately; asked him about Niall, but mostly about work and whether he was having an okay time. Harry told him everything he wanted to know, relieved that they were actually talking, which they hadn't done for weeks or months even. He also casually mentioned that he got along really well with Louis, and put in a good word for Liam by telling his father that he worked really, really hard and that he was an amazing mentor. 

While his father was telling him more about the law firm, Harry wondered how he would react if he found out Harry was dating Louis. Just a few minutes ago, he wouldn't even have considered the idea of telling his father about them, but now, he suddenly had a feeling that his dad's reaction might not entirely bad. Maybe he'd accept them. Maybe Louis wouldn't even have to quit his job. Maybe it would all work out…

The rest of the evening was spent in front of the TV, eating pizza and discussing the news they were watching. Around 10 pm, Harry excused himself and went up to his room, checking his phone right away. He had a text from Niall and a missed call from Louis. Deciding that Niall's message could wait for a while, he dialled Louis's number (which he knew by heart), and waited for him to pick up. 

"I was convinced you were dead," Louis said when he did, sounding a little worried. "Was it bad? Did he find out? Should I even bother coming to work in the morning?"

Harry grinned, leaning back against his pillows and looking up at the ceiling. "It wasn't bad – he doesn't know. Everything is fine. I did get a little worried, though, when he found your tie on the floor. You must've lost it when you left."

"You mean when you shoved me out the door," Louis corrected him, and Harry giggled. 

"I know – I'm so so so so sorry. I didn't mean to just push you out, but I panicked."

"It's okay, babycakes, I know. I didn't want him to catch us either, so I understand. But it went well, yeah?" 

Harry nodded, pushing his curls back. "Yeah. We had dinner together and talked a little… He actually mentioned you."

He could almost feel Louis's brows shooting up. "He did? Oh Christ, do I want to know what he said?"

Harry grinned. "Well, he actually had some amazing things to say about you. He was like," Harry paused for a moment, cleared his throat and then lowered his voice to imitate his father, "Louis Tomlinson is a very impressive young man. I like the way he thinks and he is a good talker. He has potential and would make an amazing lawyer if he ever decided to go to university and study law."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment. Then Louis sighed. "It's not nice of you to tease me like that, Harry. He didn't really say that, did he?"

Harry spluttered. "He did! Come on, Louis, you _are_ amazing. And I wouldn't lie to you about this – he totally did say that."

"Really?" Louis sounded uncertain, but Harry could hear the satisfaction in his voice as well. 

"Yeah," Harry answered, smiling. "He seems to really like you – which makes me think that if we ever do tell him about us, it wouldn't be as terrible as we thought it would be."

"Or he'll rapidly change his opinion about me and sack me," Louis murmured. 

Harry bit his lip. "I don't think so, but… we have time, right? We don't have to tell him right away. But… anyway, did you get home all right?"

Louis let out a laugh at that. "Yeah. Basically, I ran, completely forgetting about the fact that my shirt was still unbuttoned and my fly open. I stopped to catch my breath when I reached the end of your street – then got hit over the head by a lovely lady's purse who probably thought I was some sort of exhibitionistic pervert."

Harry snorted. "Really?"

Louis chuckled. "Yeah. She was quite rude, even though I apologized and tried to explain my situation."

"That must've been hilarious," Harry giggled. "Wish I could've been there."

He was silent for a moment. "I also wish we wouldn't have been interrupted. From now on, we'll only go to your place, all right? I don't think I can handle another shock like this. Dad usually never comes home this early, so…"

Louis nodded. "It's fine, Harry, don't apologize for it. We were lucky this time, but we shouldn't risk it again. So my place sounds like a better idea."

There was a brief silence, then Louis added, "Harry? Is everything really okay between us? I just really got the impression that you were pissed at me for some reason, and if you are, I'd like to know why."

Harry bit his lip. He hadn't thought about the whole Eleanor thing for a couple of hours. He considered telling Louis, but he didn't want Louis to laugh at him or tell him he was imagining things – because he probably _was_ imagining things. So he took a deep breath and shook his head. "No, it's fine. I promise. We're good. Also? I love you."

He could feel Louis's smile through the phone. I love you too, Harry. Wish you were here, but…" He paused. "What are you wearing?"

Harry giggled and looked down at himself; he was still wearing the same thing he'd been wearing before, but still found himself saying, "I'm naked," in his best sex voice. 

A moment later, he had to laugh, though. "No, I'm not. And I'd love to have phone sex with you right now, but I got a text from Niall and I should probably see if I can get a hold of him. I haven't been a very good best friend lately, so…"

"Ahh, yes, that's more important than phone sex. So… I guess this is goodnight?" Louis sounded understanding, and Harry found himself smiling again. Louis was just too perfect to be true. 

"I suppose. I'll see you tomorrow, all right?"

"Yes," Louis replied. "Miss you already."

Harry smiled. "Miss you too," he said softly. 

They spent the next few minutes saying 'goodnight' about ten times before they actually managed to hang up, and for a while, Harry just grinned up at the ceiling goofily. Then he shook himself and reached for his phone, dialling Niall's number, but his phone was switched off. His message hadn't sounded too urgent, so Harry tried calling him again after he'd got ready to go to bed, and then gave up when he got voicemail again. Maybe he could talk to him the next day. 

He pulled the sheets over himself and rolled onto his side, burying his face in his pillow, which smelled faintly of Louis. A few minutes later, he fell asleep with a smile on his face because today had ended up being a much better day than Harry had initially thought. He'd kind of reconnected with his father, had found out that his dad had a very high opinion of Louis, and Louis had told him he loved him many times. 

As for the Eleanor thing… it was probably nothing. 

Hopefully.


	22. Chapter 22

Zayn woke up the way he'd fallen asleep – wrapped around Liam, his face buried in his thick hair. He smelled amazing; even better in the morning, somehow, and Zayn unconsciously tightened his arms around him, pulling him close. He nosed his hair and kissed the back of his neck, smiling when Liam stirred a little. 

He lifted his head and looked down at him, watching Liam's lashes flutter against his cheeks, sighing softly because Liam was just beautiful and sometimes, like now, it overwhelmed Zayn and he just wanted to stare at him for hours. And kiss him. Always kiss him. 

He brushed a finger over Liam's bottom lip and kissed his cheek. 

"Morning," he whispered, nose pressed into Liam's cheek. 

Liam blinked and turned his head, looking up at him with big, sleepy brown puppy eyes, smiling back. "Hey." His voice was low and slightly raspy, and it was the sexiest thing Zayn had ever heard. 

He brushed his lips over Liam's lightly, but didn't deepen the kiss – morning breath could be a real pain in the ass – and stroked his hair out of his face. 

"What time is it?" Liam asked softly, a hint of panic in his voice. Still too focused on his job…

Zayn looked over at his alarm clock and blinked. It was actually not even 7 am, which was odd. He never woke up this early on his own. "Still time for us to get up, have breakfast and make out for a little while," Zayn murmured, giving him a little smile. "Unless you want to skip breakfast and just have coffee on your way to work. Then we might even have the time to take a shower together…"

Liam looked up at him and his cheeks flushed. Zayn grinned down at him, touching one of those warm cheeks and brushing his fingertips over the slight stubble on Liam's chin. He could easily imagine waking up like this every single day for the rest of his life. He wondered if Liam felt the same way. 

"A shower sounds nice," Liam admitted then, licking his lips. "Do you want to go now?"

Zayn wanted to stay in bed with Liam a little longer, but since they didn't have that much time, he decided that they could do that this weekend. In fact, staying in bed with him _all_ weekend sounded pretty good to him. 

He nodded and reluctantly let go of Liam, rolling out of bed and standing up, stretching. He looked over at Liam who'd pushed himself up on his elbows and was looking at him admiringly. Zayn smiled. "Like what you see?"

Liam blinked, surprised at being caught, and met Zayn's eyes. "Very much," he admitted, giving him a brief smile before rising to his feet as well. 

Zayn led him into the bathroom, turned on the shower and waited till the water was warm. While they were waiting, he handed Liam a spare toothbrush and they brushed their teeth. When the water finally had the desired temperature, Zayn reached for Liam's hand, tugging him under the spray with him. 

He closed his eyes and tilted his head back to wet his hair and ran his hands over Liam's to do the same to him. Then, he wrapped his arms around the other man and pulled him closer, a soft gasp escaping his lips as their bodies were pressed together. 

He looked into Liam's eyes and swallowed hard, his breath hitching in his throat when Liam captured his lips in a kiss. He fell into it right away, returning it slowly, his hands wandering down Liam's surprisingly muscular back to cup his ass. In fact, Liam's body was still pretty fucking amazing, and Zayn had no idea where he found the time to work out when he spent almost all of his time at work. Maybe Liam was just naturally fit – or he did nothing _but_ work out on weekends…

It was a mystery. 

Zayn squeezed Liam's ass gently, smiling against Liam's lips when the other man gasped. 

Then he drew back and looked into his eyes.

And suddenly really, really wanted to tell Liam how much he meant to him; how much he loved him and how long he'd been in love with him and waiting for this to happen. But he didn't want to freak Liam out, and had a feeling Liam would need a little more time to process what was happening. So Zayn bit his lip and let his eyes speak for him. 

The slight hitch of Liam's breath a moment later told him that he'd got the message. 

Zayn smiled, leaning forward to rub the tip of his nose lightly against Liam's. He twirled a strand of his hair around his finger and nuzzled him, shivering when he felt Liam's hands on his body as well. He looked down when he felt Liam trace one of his tattoos, and looked at him curiously. 

"Do you like them?" he asked softly.

Liam nodded slowly. "I'm not a big fan of tattoos, but I do like yours," he said quietly, looking up to meet Zayn's eyes. "You'll tell me what they all mean at some point, right?"

Zayn smiled, pleased that Liam seemed so interested in his body art. "Yeah. Yeah, sure, I'd love to."

He leaned in and they kissed again; a slow, deep, wet kiss that left them both breathless when they drew back a couple of minutes later. Zayn licked his lips and tilted his head, squeezing Liam's biceps gently. "Do you have any plans for this weekend? I'd like to spend as much time with you as possible."

Liam's face lit up a little, and he nodded. "Yes. I mean – no, I don't have any plans and I'd love to spend the whole weekend with you, if at all possible."

Zayn couldn't keep a huge grin from appearing on his face. "I'd like that. I'd like that a lot. We'll make it work then."

He kissed Liam again, and finally trailed his fingers down Liam's slightly hairy chest and abs. He wrapped his hand around his cock and muffled Liam's soft moan with his mouth as he started stroking him, fingers gliding up and down Liam's length slowly. Liam's hands were on his hips, gripping them a little harder as his arousal grew; leaving slight marks where his fingers pressed into Zayn's skin. 

"Mhh," Zayn moaned, a gasp escaping him when Liam reached for his cock as well. Their hands moved together in perfect sync, the only sound in the room their combined breaths and the water raining down onto their bodies. 

After a moment, Zayn blinked 'cause Liam batted his hand away. He opened his eyes and looked at him curiously, then sucked in a sharp breath when Liam pressed their cocks together, wrapping his large hand around both of them. Zayn thrust forward automatically, seeking more pressure and friction, shivering at how fucking good that felt. He wrapped his own fingers around Liam's, both their hands speeding up after some more increasingly passionate kisses. 

"Liam," Zayn breathed, pressing his face into Liam's wet neck, his free arm wrapped around him, holding him as close as possible. 

"Zaynnn," Liam gasped in response. Zayn watched his face, smiling breathlessly at the intent look on Liam's face; he seemed completely focused on the task at hand – so to speak – and lost in his pleasure. Zayn let his eyes drift closed again and leaned against Liam, panting into his neck as he felt his orgasm approaching rapidly. 

He gasped, his hips jerking forward when it washed over him, and felt his chest nearly burst with happiness when he felt Liam's cock twitched almost simultaneously, and both of them coated their hands with come. 

Zayn pressed his lips to Liam's neck, letting go of their slowly softening cocks after a moment to pull Liam flush against him again, their bodies fitting together perfectly, it seemed. 

They stood like that for a little while, panting, catching their breaths. Then, Zayn reached for the shampoo and body wash, not wanting the water to turn cold on them. 

He wished he had more time to properly explore Liam's body, touch every part of him and find out what made him gasp and scream and whimper – but since Liam would have to leave soon, he washed himself quickly, watching Liam do the same. 

They got out of the shower a short time later, and Zayn slipped into some comfortable clothes while Liam put on his outfit from the day before. As Zayn watched him, he had to grin a little, and Liam looked up, raising an eyebrow. 

"Walk of shame, huh? It's not funny," he informed him, but smiled. "But I actually keep a clean shirt and tie in my office, so I can change as soon as I get there."

Zayn nodded. "Good," he said softly. "Otherwise people might start gossiping about what you get up to after work."

He wiggled his brows and laughed when Liam looked worried. He ruffled the other man's still wet hair. "Don't worry about it. Let them talk. You're a grown man with a healthy sex drive; you should get to have some fun every once in a while. I don't think anyone can claim you're a slut."

Liam nodded and took a breath when he was dressed, and Zayn tugged on his tie, adjusting it before meeting his eyes again. 

"I wish we could do this again tonight," he said softly. "But I'm actually leaving town for a photo shoot and a fashion show later today."

"You are?" Liam asked, looking surprised – and oddly proud. "That's great for you, Zayn. I'm happy you're finally as successful as you deserve to be. I'm very proud of you."

Zayn smiled. "Stop it… you're making me blush."

Liam smiled back and tilted his chin up. "I'm serious. You deserve this. No one is as beautiful as you are – it's about time the fashion industry noticed that."

He nodded. "Do you have a hair dryer, or…?"

Zayn raised a brow. "You're asking a model this question? Really?"

Liam laughed and followed Zayn into the bathroom, their eyes locked through the mirror as Zayn watched him dry his hair. 

When he was dry and ready, Zayn led him to the door, leaning against the doorway when Liam stepped out. Liam turned and looked at him, then leaned in for one last, gentle kiss, cupping Zayn's cheek in his hand. Zayn turned his head and pressed a kiss to his palm. 

"I'll call you when I get back on Friday, all right?"

Liam nodded. "Sounds good," he murmured.

He stayed there for a moment longer, and pulled Zayn into another long kiss. 

"I'll miss you," he whispered against Zayn's lips, making the latter's breath catch in his throat. He met Liam's eyes and swallowed hard. 

"I'll miss you too, Liam."

They stared into each other's eyes for a minute longer before Liam really had to leave. Zayn watched him run down the stairs and closed his eyes, taking a shaky breath before going back inside to get ready for his trip. 

He really hoped the next few days would pass quickly; he couldn't wait to be back in Liam's arms.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Good morning, sunshine!" Louis said cheerfully as he handed Harry his coffee and daily muffin. 

Harry grinned. "Morning, pumpkin!"

He laughed, always amused about the pet names they came up with for each other. "Did you sleep well?"

Louis nodded. "I slept great," he admitted, wrapping an arm around Harry's waist and pulling him a bit closer as they started walking towards the office. "I would've slept better if you had been there, but… yeah. I slept well."

Harry smiled. "Good. I'm glad. Not too worried about the whole thing with my dad anymore, are you? Cause really, he has no clue you were there last night."

Louis nodded. "I know… and I think I've recovered from the first shock. I'll be fine."

They smiled at each other and walked in silence, drinking their coffees and eating their muffins, done with it when they approached their building. 

They both had a bit of a déjà-vu when Liam arrived at the same time. 

"Morning, Liam!" Louis called cheerfully, waving. "You look… different."

He tilted his head and frowned, looking Liam up and down. Liam looked a little uncomfortable, and Harry glanced back and forth between the two of them, wondering what was going on. 

Then, Louis's eyebrows shot up. "Wait a minute… isn't that the same thing you were wearing yesterday?"

Liam flushed deeply, and Louis gasped exaggeratedly, pressing a hand to his chest.

"Liam James Payne, were you out all night? Oh my god, did you get _laid_?"

When Liam's blush kept darkening, Louis let out a laugh and wrapped an arm around him. "I'm so proud of you, mate! Now tell me all about it – I want aaaaalll the juicy details. Start at the beginning and leave nothing out!"

Liam groaned and looked like he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole. 

Louis, however, was undeterred and as he led them to the lift, he kept asking Liam a bunch of very detailed and embarrassing questions about the events of the night before. Liam just looked exasperated and gave Harry a pleading look. 

Harry grinned and shrugged, not sure what Liam expected him to do. 

They looked at each other, and after a moment, he noticed Liam's little smile, and returned it. Liam looked happy and relaxed, and for the first time since Harry had met the older man, he didn't seem in a hurry to get to work. Whoever Liam had met or spent the night with obviously meant a lot to him, and Harry found that he was inexplicably happy for him. 

Finally taking pity on him, he elbowed Louis in the ribs, and silenced him with a brief kiss, just before the elevator doors opened and Louis was forced to shut up about it – for now, at least.

Liam gave him a grateful smile, then waved at them as he practically floated to his office.

"Ahhh, young love," Louis said solemnly, wrapping an arm around Harry. 

Harry looked over at him and they smiled at each other adoringly. 

Young love, indeed.


	23. Chapter 23

As much as Harry wanted to spend the next weekend in Louis's bed again, he felt really guilty because he hadn't seen Niall in what felt like forever. It had only been a few days, of course, but even that was longer than they'd ever been apart before, and if Harry was completely honest with himself, he missed his best friend. Besides, Louis had also mentioned that he had plans for the weekend, so maybe it was a sign that they were meant to spend some time apart. 

Harry stayed at Louis's on Friday evening, though, but left the next day in the early afternoon to meet his best friend. 

They met up on Leicester Square, planning on getting some ice cream or, knowing Niall, tons of other food, going shopping and maybe seeing a film, if they felt like it. And in the evening, if they still had some energy left, they'd go out for some dancing and a few drinks. Harry was actually looking forward to it – he kind of missed their nights out, even though he'd obviously also enjoyed his evenings in Louis's arms. 

Niall's greeting was heartfelt, and Harry hugged him for a long moment, smiling at him when he drew back. Niall grinned. "Almost didn't recognize you," he said cheerfully, making Harry laugh and roll his eyes. 

"Oh come on – as if anyone could ever forget my face." Harry poked him and grinned. 

Niall returned the smile. "Right. True. So, what's happening? It's been a while! I thought you'd completely forgot about me," he said, sniffing dramatically before giving him a grin to show he wasn't being serious. 

Harry did feel a little guilty, though, and bit his lip. "I'm sorry, Niall – but you know what it's like to be in love, right? I just wanted to spend as much time with Louis as possible, but I'm sorry I haven't been there for you. I'll try to do better from now on. It's just all so new, and it's hard to think about anything else when I'm with him. But…"

He took a breath, smiling. "Things are great. Things are really fantastic, to be honest. I couldn't be happier."

Niall wrapped an arm around him and smiled. "I'm glad to hear that, mate. And don't worry about me – you're not my only friend, you know? I do have other acquaintances."

Harry scowled, making Niall laugh. "But you're the best, definitely," he hurried to add, petting Harry's curls. 

Then he looked up. "So, I was thinking we could just take a stroll down Oxford Street, see if we feel like spending some money, and then come back here and just hang out, since the weather's great… if that's okay with you? And then tonight, we can either go to a pub or that club that never even looks at our fake IDs…" He smirked.

Harry nodded. "Sure," he said, returning Niall's smile. "Sounds perfect."

They started walking and Niall updated Harry on what had happened to their mutual friends in the last couple of weeks, which wasn't all that much – but Niall still managed to make Harry laugh with a few funny anecdotes about his nightly adventures at the pub. It looked as if not having Harry around had actually increased his chances with the ladies – Niall mentioned at least three female names that Harry had never heard before. Harry was happy for him, though – Niall deserved to have some love in his life as well. 

Then, Harry proceeded to tell Niall everything that had happened to _him_ , including the hot sex at the office and, last but not least, the incident with his father almost catching him and Louis in flagrante. 

"Seriously?" Niall laughed – that loud, booming laugh that made everyone turn and stare at them. 

Harry grinned a little and shrugged. "Yeah – it was a close one, let me tell you. And Louis was freaking out; it was adorable. And then he had to leave the house half-naked, and… yeah. It was pretty funny."

Niall snickered. "I can imagine. Never been in that situation before, fortunately, but your dad is a scary, scary man, Harry, so I can't blame Louis for running."

Still chatting about this and that, they looked at clothes, books, DVDs and video games, but didn't really find anything worth buying. Of course, they were also more focused on catching up with each other's lives than the actual shopping, so it wasn't surprising that their shopping tour was fruitless. A couple of hours later, they gave up and started making their way back up the street.

"Man, I'm _starving_ ," Niall groaned, looking seriously miserable and holding his stomach, which made Harry grin and pat his shoulder. 

"We'll get you some food. How does Subway sound?"

Niall's eyes lit up at the mention of food; he obviously approved. 

Sometime later, they were sitting on a bench on Leicester Square, eating their sandwiches, enjoying the sun and watching people go about their days. They spotted a few people they knew from school; some of them even came over to say hi. Then, Harry watched in awe as Niall devoured his first sandwich and attacked his second one with the same hunger, and shook his head. 

"I still don't know how you can eat so much and still be so thin," he said, snorting. "I wouldn't be able to eat that much if I tried – but if I could, I'd probably be twice the size I am now."

Niall grinned. "I'm just lucky, I guess," he said, swallowing around a bite and sipping some Coke, and looking at the rest of his sandwich like it was the most delicious thing he'd ever eaten. Niall's relationship with food was really, really strange. 

Harry sighed happily and started looking around again, fumbling with the lid of his Coke bottle. 

"What?" Niall asked when Harry's brows suddenly furrowed, his eyes focused on a spot somewhere behind Niall. "What is it, Haz?"

Harry opened his mouth but was too busy staring at the young man in the striped t-shirt and red pants to even hear what Niall was saying. He could only see him from behind – but he looked suspiciously like Louis. The outfit, the height, the hair – it all fit. What didn't make sense, however, was the fact that the boy's arm was wrapped around a red-haired girl's waist. 

"It's…," Harry started, then stopped and swallowed hard when the boy turned and laughed at something the girl had said, and it became clear that it was, in fact, Louis. Harry's heart sank as he kept watching the other boy touch the woman's back with a gentleness that was usually reserved strictly for Harry and lead her up the stairs into the cinema. 

Harry finally tore his eyes off the spot when Louis and his mystery girl had disappeared, and stared down at the floor, an unpleasant fluttering in his stomach. 

"Harry, mate, talk to me." Niall touched his shoulder, sounding concerned, and Harry finally made himself look up. 

"It's nothing," he said quietly. "I just… I think I just saw Louis with some girl."

Niall's head whirled around to look, but Harry shook his head. "No, they're already gone."

"Are you sure it was him?" Niall asked sceptically, turning back to face Harry. 

The latter nodded. "Pretty sure," he said quietly, hating that uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Who do you think the girl was?"

Niall shrugged. "I don't know, mate. A female friend? Maybe that Eleanor girl you mentioned earlier?"

Harry's face darkened at the mention of that name and he shook his head. "No – she doesn't have red hair."

Niall rubbed his chin. "Well, what did she look like?"

"I don't know," Harry sighed in frustration, giving a one-shouldered shrug. "Hot? I didn't see her face, but her hair was long and she had a nice figure… she looked totally hot from behind. Oh god, Niall, what if he has a girlfriend?"

Harry looked at his friend desperately, and Niall frowned. "I'm gonna kill him if he does," he said matter-of-factly. "But maybe you shouldn't jump to conclusions, Harry. She could've been just a female friend of his, you know? He did say he had plans today – didn't he say anything else?"

Harry nibbled his lips, trying to remember – but Louis hadn't given him any details, which only made Harry believe even more that Louis might be trying to hide something from him. That, and the way he'd talked to Eleanor the other day…

"He's cheating on me," he whispered, and Niall sighed, clearly not believing him. 

"Harry, come on. What about my friend theory?"

Harry shook his head. "He was stroking her back, Niall; they seemed really, really close. I don't think that's just a female friend, to be honest."

Niall bit his lip. "Well, you should ask him," he said firmly. "Go over there and talk to him – or call him."

Harry shook his head, eyes wide. "No. No, I can't just go in there – they're probably already watching a movie and making out or whatever, and I don't want to make a scene or seem like a clingy, jealous boyfriend who spies on him. I just… I'll just have to figure out another way to find out what's going on. Or not. Maybe I should just leave it."

Niall sighed heavily. Harry could imagine that Niall would prefer a more direct approach, but Harry couldn't do that. He couldn't go in there and see his suspicion confirmed; couldn't handle the thought of Louis lying to him just to get him to sleep with him and making him believe he was in love with him, only to break his heart into a million pieces afterwards. He preferred staying in denial for as long as possible, and would just keep hoping he was wrong until he found out that he wasn't. But with his luck, he probably wasn't wrong. 

He stared down at his feet and swallowed hard, and suddenly just wanted to go home and hide in his bed for the rest of the day – and possibly the next few weeks as well. He was about to tell Niall he was going home, when Niall raised a hand and shook his head. "Don't. I know what you're going to say, Harry, but no. You're not going to get miserable over this before you know what's going on. And you're not blowing me off because of this. I'm not gonna let you leave, so sit your arse down and listen to me."

He wiped his mouth with the Subway napkin and tossed his now empty bag into the litter bin. Then he rubbed his hands together and turned back to Harry. "We're going to get drunk tonight, and we're going to have fun tonight. Understood?"

Harry sighed, and considered whining, but knew that Niall would try to convince him until he said yes – so he just sighed heavily and nodded, giving in. Maybe drowning his worries in alcohol wasn't the bad idea. He wasn't a big drinker, usually, but right now, he couldn't think of a better solution either, so… drinking, it was. 

"Okay, fine," he murmured finally, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Then he pouted. "Can I get a hug?"

Niall gave him a little smile and pulled him close, holding onto him and burying his face in his neck. "It's gonna be okay, Harry. Trust me, all right? He'd be stupid to cheat on you with some dumb redhead, and from what you've told me about him, he's definitely _not_ stupid."

Harry sighed and tried to relax and make himself believe that Niall was right. 

He wasn't so sure, though. Even days later, Louis's little chat with Eleanor was still on Harry's mind, and they had _definitely_ looked like there was more to their relationship than Harry had initially thought.

Maybe he should ask Liam about it all; maybe the other man knew Louis a little better than Harry obviously did, and would be able to reassure him – or confirm his fears. Which would be horrible.

On second thought, maybe talking to Liam wasn't a good idea, Harry decided; denial still sounded like the best way to go. 

Denial and booze. Yeah, that would work.


	24. Chapter 24

That night, he and Niall were at a club, already pleasantly buzzed when they arrived. They'd done some pre-drinking at Niall's, and Harry was in a really good mood – at least compared to how he'd been feeling that afternoon. Niall was the main reason for that, but the alcohol definitely helped as well. 

They didn't go clubbing very often; it wasn't really their "scene", and besides, there was only one club that they were even allowed to go into. Niall – always the social butterfly – had some connections and despite being underage, they were allowed to go there whenever they wanted. 

They'd been there for about an hour, and after two more beers, Harry was drunker than he'd ever been before. He didn't consider himself a dancer, but with everything he'd drunk so far, he didn't really give a shit. He was bouncing around the dance floor, having fun, and even the fact that Niall was laughing at him couldn't stop him. 

After a while, he noticed Niall dancing with some girl, and decided this was a good time for another drink. He pushed his way through the crowd and got to the bar, giving the waiter a wide smile. "Hello!"

The barkeeper seemed amused, raising a brow at him. "Well hello there! What can I get you?"

Harry thought for a moment, trying to decide whether more booze would be a good idea – then decided that yeah, booze was always a good idea. "I'll have a beer," he said, smiling goofily at the waiter and sliding onto a stool while he waited. 

He tapped his fingers on the counter, humming to himself as he took a look around the room. Normally, he would be wondering what Louis was doing right now, but he'd decided earlier that he wasn't going to think about him. He was mad at him – really mad – and he wasn't going to think about him or get in touch with him until he really had to. He missed him, though, and kind of wished he was here, so he could be held and kissed – or maybe he just wanted to slap him. One of the two. Or both! That would be perfect. 

He blinked and smiled when the beer was set down in front of him, and he slid a hand into his pocket to fumble for some money. Before he could find the right amount, though, someone leaned over to him and put the money down in front of the waiter. 

"I'll take care of it," said a quite sexy male voice near his ear. The barkeeper took the money and Harry turned his head to check who'd so generously paid for his drink. 

It was a young man – not bad-looking and with a lovely smile. He was older than him – probably about ten years older than him – but he seemed all right, so Harry returned the smile. "Thanks, mate."

"You're very welcome," the man said, not taking his eyes off Harry. 

Harry reached for his beer and took a couple of sips, then smiled. "I'm Harry."

"I'm Nick."

Harry beamed. "Nice to meet you, Nick, and thanks again for the drink. It really wasn't necessary, but… thanks anyway. Free drinks are always appreciated."

Nick smiled. "I thought so. So, Harry, first time here? I don't remember seeing you here before, and I'm pretty sure I would've remembered those curls and dimples."

Harry laughed, shaking his head. "Not my first time, but I haven't been here a lot. Do you come here often?"

Nick shrugged. "Occasionally, yeah. There are better clubs, but this one's great if you just want to dance and aren't looking for more. It can happen, though, that you meet someone cute. I mean, it's happening right now, so…"

Harry flushed a little, wondering if Nick really was referring to him. He probably was. "That's sweet," he said, still smiling hesitantly. "Thanks, Nick."

Belatedly, he realized that this would've been the moment to let Nick know that he was taken; that he had a very sweet boyfriend and couldn't flirt with anyone else, but… did he? Did he have a boyfriend? Did Louis still want him? He was out having fun with random red-haired girls, so why shouldn't _he_ have some fun as well?

He turned to face Nick fully, and smiled. "How old are you?" he asked because he wasn't sure what else to ask. 

"I'm twenty-seven," the other man said, and Harry nodded; he'd expected an age close to that. "What about you?"

Harry opened his mouth and was about to say sixteen, when he realized that that probably wasn't a good idea. Then he wondered if Nick would believe him if he said eighteen. Did he look like an eighteen year old? Shrugging, he said, "I'm eighteen."

Nick nodded and gave him a smile, and some small-talk followed. After a while, Harry figured he should look for Niall – but he didn't really want to leave and end up losing Nick; he enjoyed talking to him and found that Nick had a great sense of humour, so he wanted to stick around for a bit and chat. 

While Nick was telling him about work and stuff, Harry scanned the crowd, finding Niall's white-blond head only seconds later. His tongue was down the girl's throat, and Harry giggled. Niall always went for it right away. 

Suddenly, his attention was brought back to Nick when the latter slid a hand onto his thigh. Harry looked down at it, and realized that he should probably tell Nick to keep his hands to himself, but… he was drunk, so his judgement was a little off and it felt kind of nice to know that at least _someone_ was interested in him. So instead of removing Nick's hand from his leg, he looked up at him with a smile. 

Nick returned it and started talking again, and that's when Harry saw him. 

Louis. 

He was on the dance floor somewhere behind Nick, dancing with that same red-haired girl from this afternoon. Although, Harry should probably say _woman_ – now that he could see her face, he realized that she didn't look that young anymore. 

Harry's face darkened and he looked down for a moment. How could he have been so stupid? Louis didn't want to date some stupid sixteen year old boy; he was clearly more into cougars. Fantastic. 

Harry swallowed hard and finished his drink, then turned his attention back to Nick. Two could play this game. 

He laughed at Nick's joke, swallowing hard when Nick moved closer to him, hand resting on his waist now. As hard as it was, Harry managed to keep his eyes off Louis and focused on Nick.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Louis was having fun, but excused himself after a little while to get something to drink. While he waited by the bar, trying to get the barkeeper's attention, he looked around a bit, and suddenly spotted a curly head he knew very well. He froze, however, when he noticed that the owner of said curly hair was flirting with another guy. 

Too shocked to do anything, he watched Harry laugh at the man's jokes; he seemed to be having a really good time. And was he dreaming or was that guy actually touching Harry's thigh?

He swallowed hard, his own hand tightening around the money he had ready to pay for his drink. He couldn't believe his eyes, and instantly felt betrayed. Why would Harry do this? Did he do this a lot? Did he go out and flirt with other men whenever they weren't together?

He swallowed hard and decided to watch for a bit, not wanting to do anything rash in case the guy was just a very touchy-feely friend of Harry's. He did seem a bit older, though, and as far as Louis knew, Harry didn't have any friends that age. 

When the barkeeper finally noticed him, Louis leaned in, not taking his eyes off Harry and the stranger. "Hey – have those two been chatting for long?"

The waiter followed his gaze and shrugged. "A little while, yeah. They seem to be getting along pretty well, if you know what I mean."

Louis wanted to punch the stupid smirk off the guy's face but restrained himself and just frowned. 

Noticing Louis's murderous expression, the barkeeper hurriedly added, "The kid seems to be pretty drunk, though, so I don't know. Anyway, what can I get you?"

"Nothing," Louis said; a drink was the last thing on his mind right now. He kept watching Harry and Nick, trying not to give in to the urge to go over there and ask for an explanation. Not yet anyway. 

His cue came a moment later when the older guy leaned in and slipped an arm around Harry's waist, leaning in to kiss his neck or whisper something filthy into his ear. Louis couldn't have that, of course. He slammed his hand down onto the bar, gritting his teeth as he watched Harry's eyes flutter closed. 

Enough. 

He pushed himself up and strode over there, forcefully tugging the guy off Harry, and punching him straight into his abnormally large nose. "What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing to my boyfriend?"

The guy looked stunned, holding his nose and looking between Louis and Harry, who looked surprised to say the least. Louis ignored him for now, and when the guy asked, "Boyfriend?", Louis snapped. 

"Yes, boyfriend! He has a boyfriend and I'm it. And now piss off before I hurt you."

The guy seemed to get it and waved at Harry awkwardly before leaving quickly. Then, Louis turned to Harry and was about to yell at him – but Harry was faster. 

"What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing, Louis?"

Louis gaped. "What do _I_ think I'm doing? I'm not the one letting some stranger fuck my ear with his fucking tongue and fondle me all over! What the fuck, Harry?"

Harry stood up and shoved him. "No, you're not, but you're the one spending all day with some red-haired slut, making out at the theatre and being all over her at a club. You bastard – I thought you loved me!"

Louis's face fell; he was really, really confused, and his heart sank when he saw that Harry looked truly hurt. His statement made him pause for a moment, wondering what on earth Harry was talking about – then it dawned on him and he resisted the urge to groan and laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. 

Before he could say anything and explain himself, a blond boy approximately Harry's age appeared, touching Harry's shoulder and looking at Louis with a disapproving frown. "Everything all right, Harry?"

"No," Harry said, now looking tired and sad. "I just want to go home… can we go?"

The boy – Niall, Louis assumed – nodded and wrapped his arms around Harry to turn him around. 

"Hang on a second," Louis said, reaching for Harry – but before he could touch him, Niall stepped between them and shot him with a pretty terrifying glare. "Stay away from him if you value your balls, Tomlinson. Leave him the fuck alone."

Too stunned to react, Louis swallowed hard and watched the two of them leave the club. 

But he couldn't just let Harry leave – he needed to talk to him; tell him what was going on. He bolted after the two younger boys, looking around frantically outside the club – but they were nowhere to be seen. 

"Fuck," Louis hissed, reaching for his phone and calling Harry. Obviously, he didn't pick up – and Louis doubted they'd gone back to Harry's. Clearly, Harry didn't want to talk to him right now, and knowing that Louis would find him instantly if he went to his place, they'd probably decided to go to Niall's. And since Louis had no clue where the other boy lived, there wasn't much he could do right now. 

He called Harry again, then spoke after the beep of his answering machine. "Harry, baby, please call me back. We need to talk about this. You can't ignore me forever. I… I love you, okay? Get some sleep and then I'll call you again tomorrow. Don't shut me out, love, I promise it's not what it looks like." He sighed heavily. "Night, baby."

He sighed heavily and leaned against the wall. Of course he could've just told him what was going on in his message, but he had a feeling, Harry was just going to delete it without listening anyway, so there was no point. Besides – he kind of wanted to do this face to face. 

After taking a few deep breaths, he went back into the club to find his "red-haired slut", as Harry had so charmingly called her.


	25. Chapter 25

"I want to die," Harry sobbed into Niall's shoulder. They were on his bed with Niall's arms around him, and Harry couldn't stop crying. He'd started the moment they'd left the club, and now, over an hour later, he was still sobbing pathetically, hating Louis, himself and the world. Niall was stroking his hair, looking helpless, and trying to make him feel better by just being his usual sweet self, but nothing was helping. Harry felt rotten; he just wanted to fall asleep and never wake up again. 

Nothing had ever hurt this much. He'd tried to pretend that it didn't matter to him that Louis was obviously seeing other people besides him, but it did. It did matter. Because the love of his life clearly didn't feel the same way about him.

"H-how could he do this to me?" he whimpered. "I thought he really loved me – he was so sweet and perfect, and now it turns out he's just a cheating arsehole who doesn't care one bit about me. Why did he have to make me fall in love with him? Why me? What have I done?"

He sniffled, soaking Niall's t-shirt with his tears and almost ripping it to shreds because he was holding onto it so hard. 

"Harry, love, maybe it is just a huge misunderstanding," Niall murmured into his ear, fingers threading through Harry's hair. 

"Then why didn't he say so?" Harry asked, looking up at him with red eyes and a tear-streaked face. "He could've just told me if he wasn't cheating on me – but he didn't!"

Niall sighed, obviously trying to be patient with him. "Well, Haz, you didn't really give him a chance to explain himself, did you? Look, I don't claim to know what's going on, and I'm definitely pissed at the guy for making you feel this way, whether it was intentional or not. I'm the last person who's going to defend him, but maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes things are not what they look like, and whenever you're ready, you should give him a chance to explain himself. All right?"

Harry sniffled, looking up at him with huge, heart-broken eyes. After a moment, they widened and Harry jumped up, stumbling into the bathroom. Seconds later, he threw up. He held onto the toilet and sobbed while retching, feeling worse than he'd ever felt before. 

After a couple of seconds, he felt Niall come up behind him and flush the toilet, stroking his back when Harry vomited again, tears still streaming down his face. It took a while for everything to get out, but Niall stayed with him, holding him, stroking his back comfortingly. 

When he was done, Harry was exhausted and slumped back against Niall, sniffling. The tears finally stopped, and he just felt empty. 

He let Niall pull him up after a little while and leaned against him when Niall made him rinse his mouth with water and mouthwash, and let him wash his face. He let him guide him back into the bedroom, too exhausted to do anything on his own. 

He forced himself to gulp down the water Niall made him drink, then rolled onto his side in the bed, facing the wall and staring at it blankly. He felt Niall cover him up, and hoped he would at least be able to fall asleep soon. He couldn't stand feeling this way, and his dreams could only be better than this. Anything was better than this emptiness. 

He felt Niall get into bed behind him and was grateful for the warm arm wrapped around him. It didn't feel as safe as Louis's arms had felt, but with Niall, he knew at least that the other boy actually cared about him. 

He started crying again, silently this time, too exhausted for anything else. 

He fell asleep a little while later, his sleep dreamless.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

When he woke up the next morning, he felt even worse. He hadn't thought that was even possible – but it definitely was. His head felt heavy and was pounding, he felt weak and hungry – but at the same time the thought of food made him want to throw up all over again. 

Niall was up already, waiting with a bottle of water and some aspirin, which Harry took gratefully once he could manage to roll onto his back and sit up. He stayed in bed for a little while longer but declined Niall's suggestion for him to have breakfast – the thought of food was just too much for him right now. What he wanted to do was to go home and crawl under his covers and never come out again. 

Niall refused to let him go at first, the worry obvious in his face, but when Harry promised him he would be fine, Niall agreed. Harry walked home, grateful for the fresh air to clear his head, and when he got home, he was relieved to find that his dad wasn't home. He didn't want to have to explain why he felt and looked like crap. 

His growling stomach finally got the better of him and he forced some toast down his throat before making his way upstairs. He took a shower and dried his hair without much effort, slipping into some warm, comfy clothes and sliding under the covers, pulling them over his head. 

He hadn't checked his phone since yesterday afternoon, but he didn't feel like listening to Louis's lame excuses, so… he ignored it. 

He fell asleep again and managed to get some rest, and felt vaguely better when he woke up a couple of hours later. 

He sat up and took a deep breath, looking at his phone apprehensively. He was curious – and hopeful – he couldn't deny that. He wanted to know what Louis had to say in his own defence, so after resisting the urge to check his messages for a little while longer, he reached for his phone and looked. 

He had eight missed call, two messages on his answering phone, and five text messages. He read them all, but none of them had an actual explanation. Hearing Louis's voice again brought the tears back to Harry's eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He wasn't going to give Louis the satisfaction – even though Louis obviously didn't see him. But whatever. He was done crying.

Part of him had to admit, though, that Louis did sound urgent and like he was really sorry, and that was the only reason why Harry even bothered to pick up his phone when it rang again some minutes later. 

He closed his eyes, bracing himself for what Louis was about to say. 

"Yeah?"

"Harry," Louis breathed, sounding relieved. "Finally – I was beginning to really worry about you."

There was a brief silence before he continued. "Look, Haz, would you please come down for a moment? I'm outside, and we really need to talk. I swear I didn't cheat on you."

Harry bit his lip hard, desperately wanting to believe that Louis was telling the truth. He wanted to say no, but after a while, he gave in and hung up. He slid his feet into his slippers and shuffled downstairs, opening the door after rubbing his eyes and brushing his hair back. 

When he saw that Louis had brought the redhead, he was tempted to just go back inside and slam the door in their faces. But instead, he decided to be mature about this and give Louis a chance. He made his way down to the sidewalk, folding his arms over his chest and staring at the floor. He couldn't bring himself to meet Louis's eyes. 

"So?" he asked after a moment, his voice slightly rough. "I see you brought _her_."

"Harry," Louis said softly. "I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now, but please give me a moment, all right?"

Harry heard him take a breath. "I didn't cheat on you. I never did. I love you – I didn't lie to you about any of that. I don't know what you saw, but it can't have been much because nothing happened, baby. If you'd just come to me, I could've told you right away, but…"

He breathed again, then reached forward to tilt Harry's chin up. Harry was too tired to fight it, and looked into Louis's clear blue eyes. "Harry," Louis said softly, his expression full of adoration. Harry couldn't take it and stepped back, looking back at his feet.

He heard Louis heave a heavy sigh. "Harry, I want you to meet my mother," he said finally. 

Harry frowned and his head snapped up, thinking he'd misheard. He looked between Louis and the woman, confusion clear on his features. "Your…"

Louis gave him a tentative smile. "Yes, my mother. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. She came here to visit me this weekend, and I really wanted to introduce you to her, but I wasn't sure if you were ready, so… I should've done it right away; then none of this would've happened, but… yes. Harry, this is my mother Jay. Mum, this lovely boy is Harry, my boyfriend. Or… I hope he's still my boyfriend?"

He looked at Harry questioningly, and Harry stared back, overwhelmed. 

"Hi, sweetie," the woman said, giving him a friendly smile. 

His mother. The woman he'd called a 'red-haired slut' and cougar, was Louis's mother. 

Harry wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole. He could feel his cheeks fill with colour. He still wanted to die – now it was the embarrassment that almost killed him. 

He tried to process everything but had a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that this gorgeous and _young_ woman was actually Louis's mother. But finally, he met Louis's eyes again. "You… you didn't cheat on me?" he asked, hating that he sounded so desperate.

Louis shook his head instantly. "No, baby, I'd never cheat on you. I'd have to be really stupid, wouldn't I? I can't blame you for thinking so, though. Mum and I are really close, and I guess it looked a little odd, huh?"

Harry shook his head. "No. No, I was just… I'm sorry. I'm sorry for doubting you, I feel really, really stupid right now."

He rubbed his face, still wanting to hide because he was horrifyingly embarrassed right now. What a great first impression he'd made. Louis's mother probably thought he was some stupid, immature and overly jealous teenager who wasn't worthy of her son.

He finally turned to Louis's mum. "Hi… I'm really sorry – I'm… hi. It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

He shook her hand and she just laughed, pulling him into a hug. Harry froze a little, but then relaxed and hugged her back tentatively.

"It's fine, love, I do understand jealousy, being terribly jealous myself, so… don't apologize. Let's just forget about it all, shall we?"

Harry finally drew back and gave her a grateful little smile. "Thank you… you are as amazing as Louis said you were."

She laughed. "Aw, he said that about me? Flatterer."

Louis grinned. "What can I say? I have a great mum."

He took Harry's hand, pulling him closer. "So we're okay? You don't hate me anymore? Not mad at me?"

Harry shook his head. "No... I could never hate you. Not really. And no, I'm not mad. Maybe you should be mad at me for my behaviour last night, though. That was really terrible."

Louis shook his head. "Forget about it. Just… if you ever doubt my intentions again, just talk to me, all right? This isn't going to work if we freak out whenever we see each other with someone else, yeah?"

Harry nodded, ashamed of himself. "Okay," he murmured, leaning against Louis for a moment, and giving him a little smile when Louis kissed his cheek. 

"Do you want to come and get something to eat with us? Unless you're not feeling up to it – I'd totally understand. You do look a little pale and had quite a lot to drink last night, didn't you?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah… but I'm okay, and I'm starving, actually, so I'd love that. And I'd love to get to know you, Jay, so… give me a moment to get dressed and I'll be out in a minute?"

Louis nodded. "Sure, love, take your time."

Harry turned around to go inside, then stopped, turned back around and threw his arms around Louis, giving him a long, deep kiss. "I love you. I'm sorry. And I love you. And I'll be right back."

Then he left, bolting up the stairs and throwing on some clothes, fluffing up his curls. Before he rejoined Louis and his mum, he texted Niall, admitting that he had been right all along and that things had all worked out. Niall didn't even rub the fact that he'd been right in his face and just texted back that he was glad, and asked Harry to call him whenever he had some time. Harry was grateful; he'd have to thank Niall forever for being such an amazing friend the night before.

When that was done, Harry went back downstairs, meeting Louis and Jay outside, and taking Louis's hand as they walked to the restaurant, his heart skipping a beat when Louis brushed his thumb over the back of his hand. Louis's smile made him feel so much better, and he was relieved that the whole thing had turned out to be a huge misunderstanding.


	26. Chapter 26

While Harry and Louis's weekend had been rather adventurous and dramatic, Liam's was boring. Zayn had been supposed to come back from his trip early this weekend, but had texted him on Friday night to let him know that he had to stay till Sunday. Which screwed up Liam's plans for the weekend – and made him sadder than he'd expected. 

He debated for a long time before he finally figured out what to do. 

On Saturday morning, he rose early and decided to clean out his closet; something he hadn't done for quite a while – it was necessary. After he'd got rid of a large amount of clothes, his closet looked sad and empty, so he decided to go out shopping once again. He was lucky to find some things that suited him well, and left the stores with several large bags. He also got a haircut and then just walked around London for a while, enjoying the good weather. 

With still most of the afternoon ahead of him, he went back home to clean up and make his place a little more comfortable. When he was done with literally everything there was to do, he leaned back on the couch, not sure how to kill the next few hours. He wasn't going to go to bed at 8 o'clock, after all. 

He looked at his phone and considered calling Zayn; but he had a feeling the other man was busy right now. Dating a soon-to-be very famous model had its ups and downs, Liam realized. 

But he had spent the last months literally all alone, so technically, he should be used to this. He couldn't remember right now, though – what on earth had he _done_ every Saturday night? He'd never gone out or done anything productive, and he literally couldn't remember what he'd done all those months. He only knew that he'd never been this bored before.

He sighed; he really wished Zayn were here. But since there wasn't anything he could do about it – it wasn't as if he could magically summon him, after all – he had to find something else to do. So he cooked, ate, washed up afterwards, and finally curled up on the couch to watch telly. 

It wasn't long before he fell asleep.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Zayn had felt terrible when he'd had to cancel his plans for the weekend. He missed Liam and had been hoping to spend all weekend in bed with him – but his agent had decided that it was crucial for him to stay for another day at least, and since things seemed to finally work well for him, career-wise, he really couldn't allow himself to say no and leave. 

But he did think about Liam all the time.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Liam was still asleep when he felt gentle fingers on his cheek. He leaned into the touch automatically, figuring he was still dreaming. The touch was warm and light; comforting. When he heard a soft chuckle, however, he realized that this wasn't a dream. 

He opened his eyes, jerking away when he saw someone crouching over him in the darkness, instantly thinking someone had broken into his house and was planning on molesting him. 

When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, however, he recognized the guy's smile, and let out a breath of relief. Then, he frowned in confusion. "Zayn?" he whispered. "But I thought you wouldn't be back until tomorrow. What…"

Zayn silenced him with a kiss, and despite his curiosity, Liam found himself returning the kiss, hand reaching up to wrap around the back of Zayn's neck as he deepened it, desperate for some affection after such a long week of being apart from the other man.

"I missed you," Zayn murmured when the kiss broke, eyes locked with Liam's. "I couldn't stay another day, so I thought I'd surprise you. I found the key under the doormat," he added, when Liam was about to ask how he'd managed to get in here. 

"You came back for _me_?" Liam whispered, touched, a smile spreading on his lips when Zayn nodded. 

He cupped Zayn's face between his hands and pulled him down for another deep kiss, his heart beating faster as their tongues brushed. 

He couldn't believe how much he'd missed Zayn. They'd only just started dating, and he was already turning into a really clingy, needy boyfriend; something he'd never expected of himself. Zayn didn't seem to mind, though, so it didn't matter. He rubbed his nose against Zayn's as he tilted his head and deepened the kiss again, pulling Zayn down on top of him without preamble, needing him as close as possible.

Zayn let out a soft moan, shifting to get comfortable on top of him, and kicked his shoes off. Liam's body reacted instantly to having Zayn pressed against him and he felt himself harden; he ran his hands down to the other boy's shoulders, sliding the jeans jacket off Zayn's shoulder and dropping it next to the couch. He spread his legs and wrapped himself around Zayn, holding him close. 

"I missed you too," he murmured into his ear after burying his face in his neck, breathing him in. "I missed you so much."

"I'm here now," Zayn just whispered, lips brushing Liam's jaw and neck. 

Liam tilted his head, giving him better access, and sighed contentedly when Zayn's lips travelled over his collarbone and throat, a moan escaping Liam's lips when Zayn sucked lightly on his Adam's apple and traced the birthmark just below with the tip of his tongue.

Liam ran his hands down Zayn's back, tugging on his shirt and slipping his hands under it, stroking warm skin and pressing his lips to his neck as he started pushing it up. He tugged it over Zayn's head a moment later, fingers moving over every inch of skin, tracing tattoos with the tip of a finger. 

He looked up into Zayn's eyes, then pushed himself up a bit to tug his own shirt off as well. His eyes fluttered closed when Zayn's gentle hands rubbed his chest and he bent his head to suck on a nipple, eliciting a moan from Liam and making his cock swell in his pyjama bottoms. 

"Mmmh," Zayn moaned, pressing bony hips down against Liam's, their erections pressed together. Liam slid his hands down Zayn's sides, fingers digging into his hips as he held them in place to push his own cock up against Zayn's.

The stiff fabric of Zayn's jeans was a little uncomfortable, however, so Liam reached between their bodies, unbuttoning his trousers and helping Zayn out of them with some difficulty. When Zayn was in his underwear, Liam slipped both hands into the other man's briefs, cupping his arse firmly, thumb tracing the cleft gently. 

He smiled when Zayn clenched around his finger, then captured his lips in another desperate kiss as they started grinding against each other again, their still-clothed cocks pressed together. 

"Ngh, Liam," Zayn moaned when Liam wrapped an arm around his waist and rolled them over – fortunately managing not to fall off the couch as he reversed their positions and pinned Zayn. He reached down and pulled his pyjama bottoms over his hips, revealing his stiff cock before tugging Zayn's briefs down a little and freeing his erection as well. He lowered himself back on top of Zayn, and trapped between Zayn's thighs, Liam started grinding their hips together firmly, resuming the passionate kiss. 

He wanted him; wanted to bury himself inside Zayn, lick every inch of that beautiful body with the tip of his tongue, find out everything about it; but he really didn't want to move and leave Zayn right now, even for a few seconds. And considering there was no lube anywhere near them, this had to suffice. Besides – it wasn't like he was complaining. After a week of abstinence, he was starved and this felt like the most amazing thing in the world to him.

Their hips moved together in perfect sync, cocks sliding against each other. 

"Zayn," he whispered into his skin, tongue leaving a wet trail across his collarbones. 

"Mhh," Zayn moaned in response, nails digging into Liam's arse cheeks as their hips moved a little faster, both of them thrusting helplessly until they both came between their bodies, coating their bellies with come. 

Liam stayed on top of Zayn, not wanting to be further away from him than strictly necessary. 

He trailed lazy kisses over Zayn's cheek until he reached the corner of his mouth, then kissed him fully; a soft, gentle, lazy kiss, as they came down from the high of their orgasms. 

When he finally broke the kiss, he looked down into the other boy's eyes and gave him a smile; his relief over finally having Zayn back evident. It was hard to understand how he could've known Zayn for years, literally, without feeling more than friendship for him, and now, in the course of a week or two, he'd completely fallen in love with him. But love worked in mysterious ways; some people knew instantly, others needed a little more time. 

He was clearly part of the slower ones. 

Zayn rubbed the back of his head lightly, returning the smile. "You got your hair cut," he whispered. "It's fuzzy. I like it."

Liam smiled, leaning forward to capture Zayn's bottom lip between his own, sucking teasingly. "Yeah," he murmured. "Thought it was time for something new."

Zayn's hand wrapped around the back of his neck, and when he shifted and grimaced at the stickiness between them, Liam knew it was time to move. He got off the bed reluctantly, stepping out of his pyjama bottoms before reaching for Zayn's hand and tugging him up. 

He pulled him into his arms, held him close, their now naked bodies pressed together as they looked into each other's eyes for a little while. But finally, they made their way into the bathroom to clean up, and then they slid into Liam's bed. 

Liam wrapped himself around Zayn instantly, unable to let go of him for even a second for fear of losing him again, and kissed the back of his neck tenderly, nosing his hair. 

He could tell that Zayn was exhausted, and couldn't blame him. Plane flights were exhausting, and Zayn had probably been awake for quite a while. And while Liam really wanted to hear everything about Zayn's trip and the people he'd met and the things he'd done, and tell him about his own week as well, he could see that Zayn wasn't capable of much more tonight. 

He brushed a kiss over the shell of Zayn's ear, nosing it lightly. "Go to sleep, love," he murmured. "We'll talk tomorrow."

Zayn only managed a nod before he fell asleep. Liam stroked his stomach and hip gently, just holding him and revelling in the softness of Zayn's skin and his intoxicating smell, but eventually, Zayn's soft snores lulled him to sleep as well.


	27. Chapter 27

A new week began and gave both couples the opportunity for a fresh start. 

After a wonderful dinner with Louis's mother, during which Harry had made a really great impression –or at least he _thought_ that she liked him, which Louis confirmed later – Harry and Louis had spent a lot of the previous day really getting to know each other; talking about their fears and insecurities, especially those concerning their relationship. Harry had thought that the right moment to ask about Eleanor, since the question had been on his mind for several days now, and he desperately wanted clarity. 

"What about Eleanor?" he'd asked, nibbling his lip as he'd looked at Louis. "Did you guys date at some point?"

Louis hadn't looked uncomfortable or guilty; he'd just looked into Harry's eyes, fingers threading through his curls, and said, "Eleanor and I hooked up when I moved here and started working at your father's law firm. We went out together one night, got drunk, and it happened. Afterwards, she got a bit dramatic and claimed she was in love with me, but I wasn't interested. I told her, she moped for a while, but then moved on to the next guy and apparently forgave me and started talking to me again. Liam somehow heard about the whole thing, so if he ever said anything to you about me being a heartbreaker or a player or whatever he calls it, he was probably referring to that."

He'd touched Harry's cheek and brushed a kiss over his lips. "You don't have a thing to worry about when it comes to El. I'm not interested in her. We did have sex, yes, but now, she's really just a friend – although 'friend' is a strong word, since we never really talk about anything deep or hang out together. She's an acquaintance I slept with about a year ago, nothing more. Now she's just a colleague. And yeah, maybe I do flirt with her a little – but it's the easiest way to get her to do something for you, you know?"

Harry had been incredibly relieved when he'd heard that. Even though he'd been nearly completely reassured at that point, he'd asked, "Is there anyone else I should know about?"

At that, Louis had admitted that he'd slept with a couple of other people at the office – and he'd even given Harry their names – and had then told him that he'd only had two serious relationships – a girl named Hannah, whom he'd been with when he was 16, and Harry. A warm feeling had spread through Harry's entire body at that, and he'd felt incredibly happy that for Louis, their love already qualified as a serious relationship when they'd only known each other for about two weeks. That was when he'd realized that Louis really did love him as much as Harry loved him, and he was now sure that nothing was going to come between them again. 

Of course Harry only had two weeks of work left, and he knew that things would probably change drastically after that – they wouldn't see each other daily anymore, and they would have to figure out how to make it work when school started again. But they didn't have to worry about this right now. For now, Harry was going to enjoy his two last weeks at work, and they would find a solution for everything else later.

They'd spent the rest of the evening in front of the telly, snuggling and snogging, and Louis had taken Harry home at the end of the night. 

Liam, meanwhile, had a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that he actually had a boyfriend. He was seeing someone – he was in an actual relationship. He didn't know how long it had been since he'd last been able to say that. It overwhelmed him to think about how much his life had changed over the course of the last two weeks, and he swore to himself that he was going to do anything to make this work. He was falling for Zayn, and in his heart, he suddenly knew that Zayn was the right person for him. 

He still wondered why it had taken him so long to realize it – but better late than never, right?

Their Sunday had been spent in bed, making up for the week they'd been apart. Sex with Zayn was amazing – Liam had never experienced anything like it before. They were incredibly compatible – in bed and everywhere else. While they did have some things in common, they were also completely different, which had always worked for their friendship, and did the same for their relationship. 

They complemented each other perfectly.

Between their heated love-making, they talked about what had happened to them during the past week, random little things they wanted to share with each other, as well as their feelings. Zayn told Liam that in the past, he'd never been really serious about anyone, but that he'd also never been as much in love with anyone as he was with Liam, and that he was ready to settle down with him. 

Liam had expected to freak out upon hearing that because technically, he knew that this was moving much too fast; that they should probably take some time to really get to know each other again and date casually for a while before taking their relationship to the next level. But on the other hand, he'd known Zayn for almost two decades now, and in his heart, he knew that he didn't need that "trial" period. He knew what he wanted, and what he wanted was Zayn. 

For the first time in his life, he had no doubts about his feelings and knew that Zayn was his future. He just knew. 

Zayn spent the next night at his place as well, and Liam knew that he wasn't going to have any trouble getting used to having Zayn around all the time. It felt like he belonged in his bed, in his arms. It felt right. And he wasn't going to let go of this for anything in the world.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Sadly, the beginning of the next week wasn't that great for Liam. While his weekend had been wonderfully relaxing, work seemed to be ten times as stressful as it usually was. Instead of decreasing, the pile of files on his desk seemed to get bigger and bigger. He knew that it wasn't possible, but there seemed to be ten new files whenever he finished one case, and it was beginning to get to him.

He started to cut his lunch break short and worked through it, only taking a few of bites off his sandwich whenever he had a couple of seconds between phone calls and meetings. At the beginning of the week, he made an effort to leave work as early as possible, wanting to spend as much time with his new boyfriend as he could – but by the end of the week, he began to realize how much work he got done in the evening when everyone else was already gone, and he knew he couldn't drop those. If he didn't work overtime, he simply didn't get anything done. 

But it was gnawing at him, and Liam knew that he wouldn't be able to do it forever. Mid-week, he had a bit of a breakdown in the kitchen when he couldn't get the coffee machine to work. Only the fact that Harry entered the room and interrupted his little moment, kept him from grabbing the stupid machine and throwing it across the room. Harry asked him what was wrong, and when Liam told him that he was just a little stressed, Harry had offered to help him out more. He admitted that he didn't have that much to do, and that Liam could rely on him to help him out with a few things. 

Liam had been tempted to tell Harry that he was all right, not wanting to admit how much he desperately needed some help – but Harry had looked so sweet and genuine that he hadn't been able to say no. So he started giving Harry more work, and was eternally grateful when Harry was doing a great job and didn't screw anything up. 

It didn't change the fact, though, that he had to stay till late in the evening to come to a satisfying result.

On Monday and Tuesday, he was home early and could spend the evening with Zayn. On Wednesday, he got home two hours later, exhausted, but felt better when Zayn gave him a foot rub and kissed him, successfully distracting him from his tiring day. 

When he came home on Thursday, he found Zayn asleep on the couch. His heart twisted as he looked down at the other man, glasses askew and looking so sweet and peaceful, and while Liam really wanted to talk to him and rant about work, he didn't have it in him to wake him up. He got a blanket from under the coffee table and covered Zayn with it, taking his glasses off and setting them down on the table. 

He stroked Zayn's hair lightly, and when he leaned in to press a kiss to Zayn's temple, the other man stirred and looked up at him sleepily. "Hey," he murmured, giving him a small smile. "What time is it?"

"Late," Liam murmured, brushing Zayn's fringe off his forehead and looking down at him adorably. "Do you want to come to bed or stay here?"

"I'll come," Zayn murmured, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He squinted as he tried to decipher the time displayed on the DVD player, and looked at Liam with a disapproving frown when he saw that it was past eleven. "I thought you weren't going to work this late anymore."

Liam bit his lip and sighed softly. "I know, love. I just have so much work that I can't get it all done by six, or even eight. Trust me – I'd rather be here with you than at work, but I just… can't."

Zayn leaned back, watching him thoughtfully. "Maybe it's time to tell your boss that he asks too much of you and to hire someone else to help you out. Seriously, Liam, I know you're ambitious, and I'm so proud of you for being so invested in your work, but you can't keep doing this to yourself. Do you think I don't notice how tired you look when you get back? You need to do something. Talk to your boss – I'm sure he'll understand."

Liam just shook his head, touching Zayn's face gently. "I do have a lot to do," he admitted. "But I can't talk to him about this. And it isn't forever, Zayn. It's a lot at the moment, but soon, it'll slow down and then I'll have more time for you. I promise it's not forever."

Zayn looked at him sceptically and reached for his hand, lacing their fingers. He brought Liam's hand up to his lips and brushed a gentle kiss over his knuckles. "Just don't overdo it, Liam. I'm only saying this because I care about you. If you go on like this, you're going to be burnt out by the time you're thirty."

He leaned in and kissed Liam's lips. Not wanting to discuss this anymore, Liam deepened the kiss and then picked Zayn up and carried him into the bedroom. When they were on the bed, Zayn took over; undressing Liam and kissing every part of his body that he could reach. Liam closed his eyes, enjoying his boyfriend's attention and thinking that he didn't deserve him. Liam was clearly already a terrible boyfriend, while Zayn was so good to him – perfect, almost.

Which was why he felt horribly guilty when he awoke the next morning and he realized that he'd fallen asleep on Zayn mid-foreplay. He apologized a hundred times, despite the fact that Zayn didn't seem too upset about it and told him it was okay. Liam still felt guilty for the rest of the day, and while his mind kept being stubborn and reasoning with him; telling him that he couldn't neglect work in favour of Zayn, he knew in his heart that he wouldn't be able to do this forever. 

Something had to change – and soon – or he'd be a wreck by the end of the summer.


	28. Chapter 28

Work that day was, as usual, stressful. Not only did he have a few meetings and a ton of paperwork to catch up on; when he arrived at the office that morning, Eleanor told him that the boss wanted to see him after lunch. Liam tried not to show how much he didn't want to talk to Mr. Styles – because whenever he left the man's office, he seemed to have about a week's worth of work more than before. And he'd really been hoping he could go home early tonight…

He was satisfied with his morning and got a lot done. More than he'd expected, actually, and when he left the office to go for a short walk while he ate his daily sandwich, he found himself in a surprisingly good mood. When he got back to the office, Eleanor told him that Mr. Styles was in and waiting for him, so Liam took a breath before he knocked on the door, entering his superior's office when he heard the older man's impressive voice call, "come in."

"Good afternoon," he said, managing a little smile when he came face-to-face with Mr. Styles. He closed the door behind himself and made his way over to the desk, sitting down on the chair in front of it. He'd brought a notepad, knowing he'd need it – and he wasn't wrong. 

The moment he'd sat down, the other man started listing various things that needed to be taken care of during the next week. Liam tried not to show his discomfort and nodded as he jotted down keywords, gave his boss some updates about the recent cases they'd worked on. He swallowed hard when he reached the end of the first page of his notepad and Mr. Styles was still not done. He wondered how long he'd known about some of those things that needed to be done; it wasn't possible that everything he'd just been told had come up during the past week, was it?

Finally, he seemed to be coming to an end and Liam let out a breath or relief. He'd been in the man's office for about half an hour and he really couldn't wait any longer; he needed to get back to work or he wouldn't get anything done before the weekend. 

"How's my son doing by the way?" Mr. Styles asked when Liam was getting up, and Liam couldn't help but smile a little. 

"He's doing great. He seems to really like working here and he's helping me a lot."

He didn't mention that he was literally dreading the moment when Harry would be gone – he'd come to rely on the boy so much during the past week that he couldn't imagine taking care of everything on his own anymore. 

"Good. I'm glad to hear that," Mr. Styles said, even smiling a little before turning back to his computer without another word. Liam knew this was his cue to leave; he got up and made his way to the door. 

He was almost outside when Mr. Styles addressed him again. "Oh, and Payne? I hope you haven't forgotten about the Hendersons arriving tomorrow? I'm going to need you to pick them up from the airport, take them to the hotel and make sure they're comfortable for the weekend before the trial starts on Monday."

Liam stared at the door for a moment and before he knew what was happening, he said, "No."

There was a brief pause before Mr. Styles asked, "Excuse me?"

"No," Liam said again, turning to face him. "No, I won't."

Mr. Styles raised an eyebrow. "This really isn't a discussion, Mr. Payne – I'm not asking you to do it, I'm _telling_ you."

Liam stared at him, trying to get his sudden anger under control. Of course he remembered the Hendersons but he'd completely forgotten that they were supposed to arrive this weekend. But this really wasn't in his job description. Why should _he_ be the one to welcome clients and make them feel at home? That was a secretary or assistant's job – Liam had studied law, for fuck's sake!

"Fuck you," he suddenly snapped before he could stop himself. "Do you have ANY idea how much work I have? I work my arse off to please you and I never get anything in return. I've put up with your shit for too long – it's enough now. I've sacrificed my evenings and weekends for this law firm and no one ever seems to fucking thank me for anything. I've been working here for years, and I'm without a single doubt THE most hard-working employee you've got, yet after YEARS of being in a position that is FAR below my level of education, I'm still not allowed more than small, insignificant cases, and I'm done. I'm fucking DONE."

The moment he'd finished, he knew he'd made a mistake. He wished he could take everything back – while at the same time, he knew it was about fucking time he said something. He'd let this man jerk him around for years, had done anything to please him and had literally gotten nothing in return, except for a small promotion that really wasn't even worth mentioning. He deserved more than this, and after years of thinking he had to put up with all of this, he finally realized that. 

Mr. Styles looked stunned for a moment; then he rose to his feet and put his hands down on his desk. "Who the hell do you think you are? You have no right to make any demands – you should be glad to have a job at all. You're not indispensable, Payne, and if you refuse to do this, I don't think I have to tell you that you can go and pack your stuff. You're fired. Now get the hell out of my office."

"Gladly," Liam snapped. He opened the door and went outside, slamming it shut behind him so hard that the glass broke. He didn't care. He walked straight ahead, back to the elevator where he'd come from. He didn't feel like taking anything right now – he was too angry and just needed to get the fuck out of there. 

He glared at Eleanor who was staring at him with wide eyes. "What are you looking at?" he barked. He pressed down on the elevator button several times, knowing perfectly well that he couldn't make it get there any faster by pushing harder. He pushed past the people exiting it when it finally arrived, and went downstairs, leaving the building without another look back. 

He was still angry when he arrived at his place sometime later, slamming the door behind him. He went into the living room and poured himself a drink, knocking it back and closing his eyes as the liquid burned its way down his throat. It made him feel marginally better.

"Liam?"

Liam blinked and looked over his shoulder when he heard Zayn's tentative voice, his features softening when he saw the other man. He hadn't expected him to still be here – usually, Zayn had stuff to do during the day and came back in the evening.

"What are you doing home so early, and…" Zayn noticed the drink and furrowed his brow. "Did something happen?"

Liam looked at him for a moment, then swallowed and sat down hard on the couch, rubbing his face. "You could say that," he said quietly. "I just got fired."

" _What_?" Zayn sounded completely shocked.

"Yeah. Apparently, telling one's boss to fuck off is frowned upon these days, so… he fired me." Liam swallowed hard and rubbed his forehead. "Whatever – doesn't really matter. I would've quit if he hadn't told me to get out."

Zayn seemed frozen to the spot, but after a moment, he made his way over to him, sat down next to him and touched his arm. "What happened? Tell me?" He paused. "Do you want another drink?"

Liam took a deep breath and rubbed his face, giving a curt not. "Yeah – thank you."

A few seconds later, he had a full glass in his hand and sipped the burning liquid slowly. His hand was shaking. He leaned forward and set the glass down on the table, rubbing his temples. "He wanted me to work this weekend and I just snapped. I'm exhausted, Zayn, and the thought of having to spend the weekend showing an elderly couple around London just… I just couldn't. So I snapped. And used 'fuck' about five times in my little speech and I don't even regret it." He paused. "Well, maybe a little…"

Zayn was rubbing his back comfortingly. "Relax," he said softly. "Obviously it would've been better if you'd said something a little sooner, but I think it's good that you told him. You weren't happy there. I've been watching you, Liam, and you really do look exhausted when you come home. It's not healthy to work as much as you do, especially since they don't even give you the credit you deserve. And maybe this'll make him think about how he treats you and your co-workers. And really, Li, you do _so_ much for that law firm; they won't function without you. I wouldn't be surprised if he begged you to come back by the end of the day."

Liam shook his head. "I don't think he will, to be honest. I think I really fucked this up, but… I guess it shouldn't be too hard to find another job? I mean, I do have qualifications and while I don't have the job experience I was hoping to have at my age, I do believe I could find a job somewhere else. I hope. Fuck."

He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes and swallowed hard. Now that his initial anger had dissipated a little, he felt like an idiot and had to try hard to fight the urge to call his (former) boss right now and apologize for what he'd said. Sometimes he really hated that he was such a good guy. He shouldn't feel the need to apologize; he was _right_ , in this case, and shouldn't want to just crawl back there and ask for forgiveness. 

"Take my mind off this?" he asked softly, glancing over at Zayn. "Please; I just want to forget this day ever happened."

Zayn gave him a little smile and leaned in to press a kiss to his lips. "Of course, babe. I'll make you think of something else."

Liam swallowed hard and leaned back when Zayn got onto his knees in front of him. He bit his lip and made a contented little sound when Zayn rubbed his thighs slowly, watching his boyfriend intently. Zayn was looking up at him with dark eyes, a small smirk playing on his lips when he unbuttoned Liam's trousers and tugged the zipper down. He yanked Liam's trousers down over his hips, exposing his semi-hard cock – it really only took one look at Zayn for him to get hard. 

Zayn wrapped his hand around his erection and Liam leaned his head back, closing his eyes when Zayn stroked him to full hardness. It didn't take long for him to forget about everything except the other boy's hand on his cock and the promise of those full, plump lips wrapped around his cock.

"Just relax," Zayn whispered as he pulled back the foreskin, his breath warm on the now-exposed head of Liam's cock. Liam managed to nod, then sucked in a breath when Zayn's warm tongue wrapped around the head, tracing the ridge with the tip of it.

Hand still wrapped around the base, Zayn continued stroking him while he slowly sucked more and more of Liam into his mouth, lips wrapped tight around his length. Liam reached down, tangling his fingers in Zayn's messy hair and pulling on it a little, guiding Zayn's head up and down just a little as he felt the familiar waves of pleasure spread through his body. 

"Mmh," he moaned, hips jerking up a little as he tightened his fingers in Zayn's hair, encouraging him to go on. "Mmmm, fuck, don't stop; you feel so good…"

He opened his eyes after a little while, needing to see Zayn; and the sight of him sent a jolt of excitement up his spine. Zayn was staring up at him, more than half of Liam's cock down his throat.

He let go of Zayn's hair to cup his cheek, rubbing his thumb over it. Zayn's lashes fluttered briefly against his cheekbones at the gentle touch before he looked up at him through half-lidded eyes. Liam was close soon; he felt the familiar tightening sensation in his lower abdomen when Zayn drew back, clearly feeling that Liam was about to come. He wrapped his hand around the base and kept stroking, tonguing the slit and looking up at him with a seductive smirk. 

Liam's grabbed the back of the couch, digging his fingers into it and arching up because _fuck_ , how did Zayn manage to always look so fucking sexy? His orgasm was ripped from him a second later and he let out a hoarse shout when he climaxed, his release splashing over Zayn's face. 

Liam was panting heavily, his whole body trembling with the force of his orgasm. He reached down and brushed his thumb across Zayn's bottom lip, coating it with his come. His breath hitched when Zayn's tongue darted out to lick it up greedily and he sucked Liam's thumb into his mouth. 

"Fuck," Liam whispered, finally collapsing against the back of the couch and closing his eyes. He could feel Zayn move but was too exhausted to look what he was doing; and a moment later, Zayn was back by his side, trailing light kisses up his neck and nestling his seemingly clean face into it. A hand slid onto his stomach and Liam reached down to cover it with his own, lacing their fingers together as he finally managing to lift his head and meet Zayn's eyes. 

"Thank you," he whispered. 

Zayn gave him a sweet smile. "No need to thank me, babe. It's just one of the many benefits that come with having a boyfriend," he murmured, leaning in to kiss Liam. Liam's eyes closed of their own accord as he fell into the kiss, and while he could feel himself begin to worry about his job again, he forced himself to push those thoughts away. There was nothing he could do about it now; he could worry about how to proceed later. 

Right now, he was going to focus on Zayn and enjoy his time off. It was no longer his job to worry about what was going on at the law firm; let them figure out how to deal with him being gone. 

For now, he was free.


	29. Chapter 29

After a long lunch break (and some snogging), Harry and Louis came out of the elevator to find the whole office buzzing. Harry raised a brow and Louis gave him a shrug. Eleanor was approaching them with an excited expression on her face and Harry wrinkled his nose. Even though he knew what had happened between her and Louis now, he still didn't feel like spending more time with her than strictly necessary, so he touched Louis's shoulder lightly to say goodbye before he made his way to Liam's office to ask what he wanted him to do this afternoon. 

It was actually nice to have something to do; Harry had been a little bored during the first two weeks there, but now that Liam actually gave him a little more work and responsibility, time seemed to fly and Harry was much more satisfied. Besides, he could tell that he was really helping Liam, and that was a nice feeling as well. 

After knocking a couple of times and not getting a response, he opened the door and peeked inside, finding Liam's office the way he'd left it before lunch. Hmm. This was odd. Usually, Liam was back from lunch around this time. 

Harry closed the door behind him and ran straight into Louis when he turned around to go back to his own office. He blinked. "Oops. Sorry."

"Did you hear?" Louis asked, eyes wide. 

Harry's brow furrowed. "No, what?"

Louis leaned in. "Apparently Liam was fired half an hour ago. No one's really sure what happened – Eleanor heard some yelling from your father's office and when Liam came out, he broke the door and just stormed off. He seemed very irritated and… yeah, he was fired."

" _Liam_?" Harry asked incredulously, eyes just as wide as Louis's. "Why would he fire _him_? That doesn't even make sense; Liam never does anything wrong. This must be some sort of misunderstanding, surely?"

Louis shrugged. "From what Eleanor told me, it isn't. She overheard your dad telling Liam to pack his stuff and get out of here. No one's really sure what happened, but it looks like it's true."

Harry frowned, curious and a little worried. Why would his dad fire Liam; what reason could he possibly have to do something so drastic?

"His stuff is still there, though," Harry said softly, gesturing at the door to Liam's office. "Maybe it's just a rumour?"

Louis shrugged. "I don't know," he said softly. "I'm just telling you what Eleanor told me. And the whole office seems to know about it, too."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Well, Eleanor's a gossip; of course the whole office knows."

Louis looked down at him with an indulgent smile. "You're cute when you're jealous."

Harry scowled. "I'm not jealous. I just don't like her, and you have to admit that she likes spreading silly rumours, making stuff up and causing unnecessary drama."

Louis gave him a one-shouldered shrug. "I suppose."

Harry nibbled his lip. "Maybe I should go ask my dad what's what? I don't really like talking to him when he's in a bad mood, but at least then we'd get information straight from the source."

Louis nodded. "That would be good, definitely, but I think it'll have to wait. According to Eleanor, he stormed out of here a little while after Liam left."

"Oh," Harry said softly. "I'll ask him tomorrow then."

He bit his lip. "I'm not sure what to do," he admitted then. "I mean, Liam tells me what to do around here, so… do you have any work for me?"

Louis was looking at him contemplatively, and a slow smile spread on his lips. 

Harry eyed him suspiciously. "What? 

Louis smiled innocently. "Well, since neither Liam nor your dad is here right now and it's Friday afternoon, not much is going to happen around here. No one would bother us… if you know what I mean."

He smiled slowly and Harry, raising an eyebrow, smiled back. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Louis waggled his eyebrows and grinned, leaning in a little; hand resting on Harry's hip. "If you think I'm suggesting bending you over my desk and fucking your brains out, then yes, that's exactly what I'm insinuating here."

Harry's heart skipped a beat and he beamed. "I like the way you think…"

Louis winked and leaned in more – but then stepped back when one of their co-workers walked by. They really should be more careful. "Come to my office in five minutes, yeah?" Louis murmured, eyes dark.

Harry nodded. "Sure; I'll be there."

He licked his lips as he watched Louis walk away, tilting his head while he looked at his boyfriend's round butt and watched him disappear in his office. 

He stood there for a moment, heart racing in excitement as he waited, and then followed Louis into his office, unaware that he was being watched. 

In Louis's office, he immediately found himself pressed against the door, and gave Louis a sweet smile. "Wow, eager much?"

He wiggled his eyebrows, then reached behind himself to turn the key around and lock the door. Sure that no one was going to interrupt them now, he wrapped his arms around Louis and pulled him close. 

"Always," Louis murmured as he captured Harry's lips in a heated kiss, hands sliding down his sides. "Always eager when it's you."

Harry smiled against his lips and sucked Louis's bottom lip into his mouth, hands wrapped around the back of his boyfriend's neck. "Is that so?" he murmured seductively, sliding a leg between Louis's and rubbing his thigh against the growing bulge in his trousers. 

Louis let out a breathless laugh and pinned him to the door, their noses brushing as he looked into his eyes. "Yeah," he murmured, tilting his head when he kissed Harry again. Too aroused to tease Louis further, Harry answered the kiss, deepening it and letting out a soft moan when their tongues tangled and Louis's hips pressed into his own. 

The kiss broke several moments later and Harry swallowed hard as he stared into Louis's eyes. "You said something about bending me over your desk?" he asked breathlessly, slowly grinding his hips against Louis's. 

"Yeah," Louis murmured. "I changed my mind, though. I think I'll ravish you right here."

He tugged Harry's shirt out of his trousers and slipped his hands under it, tugging it over his head. Harry licked his lips, head falling back against the door when Louis attacked his neck with his lips and teeth, trailing them over his collarbone and biting his throat carefully. Harry let out a low groan, reaching down to undo his pants while Louis did the same to his own. 

A moment later, he found himself flipped, cheek pressed against the wooden door as Louis's hands roamed over his back and tugged his trousers down further. They slid down and pooled around his ankles. Harry sucked in a breath and bit his lip when he heard some rustling behind him, then squeaked when he felt cool, slick fingers teasing his crack. He spread his legs automatically, arching into the touch, his hard cock trapped between his stomach and the door. He pushed against it, desperate for some more friction; then dug his teeth into his lips when he felt Louis's fingers circling his hole. 

"God," he breathed, eyes screwed shut when Louis pushed two fingers inside, his other hand warm and comforting on his hip as he prepared him. He moved his fingers back and forth, taking his time as he finger-fucked Harry into whimpering mess, only grazing his prostate teasingly every once in a while. It was enough to get Harry excited, but not enough to get him off just yet. 

"Mmmh, you like this, don't you?" Louis murmured into his ear, tongue warm as it trailed around the outer shell of it before dipping in teasingly. "Tell me how much you love what I'm doing to you, Haz. Come on, let me know how much you want me to fuck you."

"I do," Harry breathed, groaning when Louis's fingers once again pressed against the small nub inside of him, sending sparks of pleasure through his body. "God, I do. I love it. I love it when you just take me like this, and – ahh – I need you; need you so badly, Louis, please. Fuck me hard."

Louis smirked against his neck and Harry gasped when he withdrew his fingers and pressed the tip of his cock against his entrance instead. Harry's eyes fluttered closed and he whined, pushing back eagerly. "Louis…"

Louis breathed into his ear, then pushed in with one hard thrust, making Harry's breath catch in his throat and his hand automatically slide down to grip his cock. Louis would have none of that, however, and grabbed both his wrists, pinning his hands to the door. His hips were pressed flush against Harry's arse, cock deep inside him, and Harry closed his eyes, trying to breathe. 

"Oh god," he whispered when Louis held the position for far longer than Harry could stand, and when he finally drew back and slammed back in, Harry nearly came undone right then and there. "Louis!"

"Shh," Louis hissed, shifting both of Harry's wrists into one of his hands and covering Harry's mouth with his now free hand. "Shut it, love, you don't want anyone to catch us, do you?"

The idea of someone walking in on them (which, okay, wasn't an option considering he'd locked the door earlier) or hearing them was actually a bit of a turn-on for him, but Harry just nodded and tried to keep quiet. He kind of loved being restrained like this with Louis's hand covering his mouth, so he didn't struggle too much. 

When Louis was sure Harry was going to be more or less quiet, he started moving, slowly at first to give Harry some time to get used to his cock inside of him again, but then he started slamming into him harder, hips snapping forward with a force that made Harry's head spin. He closed his eyes, pressing his cheek against the door as he pushed back against Louis as much as he could, his knees buckling every time Louis thrust in. 

He sped up, slamming him hard, panting heavily into Harry's ear. "So tight," he whispered. "You drive me crazy, Harry."

Harry's eyes fluttered and he whimpered when Louis removed his hand from his mouth and slid it between his body and the door, wrapping it around his cock and jerking him roughly. He bit his lip to keep himself from making too much noise and tried to push back against Louis's cock and thrust into his hand at the same time. 

When Louis's hand tightened around his cock, he gasped and thrust forward once more as he felt himself fall over the edge and come hard, his muscles clenching around Louis's cock and ripping his orgasm from him as well. 

His body was thrumming as his orgasm seemed to go on for what felt like minutes before he finally collapsed against Louis. His legs felt like pudding and the only thing holding him up was Louis's body pressed against him. When Louis drew back, Harry kept leaning against him and they both stumbled backwards, tripping over their trousers around their ankles and landing on the floor. Harry let out a laugh when Louis hissed in pain, and managed to curl into his side, arm wrapped around Louis's waist. 

"That was hot," he breathed, resting his head on Louis's shoulder and grinning goofily, his breath coming in short little puffs. 

"Fuck yeah," Louis murmured, sounding just as satisfied as Harry felt. 

They lay in comfortable silence for a while, both catching their breaths. Harry smiled when he felt Louis's lips press against his forehead and looked up to give him a little smile. 

Louis smiled back, fingers threading through Harry's slightly sweaty curls. 

"I think we should go check on Liam after work," Harry said after they'd gazed into each other's eyes adoringly for a while.

Louis raised an eyebrow and frowned, lips forming a pout. "I just fucked you and you think of Liam? Wow. Way to boost my ego."

Harry let out a laugh and kissed his shoulder comfortingly. "I'm just worried about him. I think we should go see if he's all right, yeah?"

Louis rolled his eyes but nodded, rubbing the back of Harry's neck lightly. "Yeah, you're probably right. So we'll drop by after work then. Can we talk about something that's _not_ Liam right now, though? Think that would be possible?"

Harry grinned. "What topic do you suggest, oh boyfriend of mine?"

Louis looked at him thoughtfully and smiled. "We could discuss what we're gonna do for the rest of the day. I have a few ideas that I wanted to run by you…"

"Is that so?" Harry purred, propping his head up on his arm and grinning. "I'm all ears."


	30. Chapter 30

In the evening after work, when Harry was more than a little sore – but happy – from all the sex he and Louis had engaged in that afternoon, the two of them made their way to Liam's. While they were walking in relative silence, holding hands (it still made Harry's stomach flutter whenever Louis laced their fingers together), Harry wondered what they'd find when they got there. Would Liam be devastated and in tears, crushed because he'd lost his job? Would he still be pissed, like he'd apparently been this morning? Harry honestly didn't know what to expect, but he was ready to give Liam a huge hug, if he needed it.

When they finally arrived and rang the doorbell, it took a moment for someone to open the door, almost enough to make Harry ring the bell again. And when the door finally opened, it wasn't Liam at all, but a good-looking, half-naked, tattooed bloke. 

"Oh," Harry said – and couldn't stop himself from briefly checking the other man out, while Louis smiled. 

"Zayn! Fancy seeing you here. Is Liam around, by any chance?"

Zayn grinned. "Hey. Yeah, he's here – did you come to check on him? You've heard, I assume?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah," he said, biting his lip. "How is he?"

"Zaayyyynnn," Liam's voice came from inside the flat, and he sounded whiny and impatient. "Are you gonna get your tight little arse back to bed, or what?"

Zayn's cheeks coloured a little while Harry's brows shot up. "He doesn't sound _too_ depressed," he said, letting out a surprised giggle because he'd never heard Liam say something like that.

"He isn't," Zayn admitted, smiling. "I think he's recovered rather well."

"He sounds like it," Louis laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "So I suppose this is a bad time? You getting ready for round two or something?"

Zayn quirked a brow. "More like round four – he's insatiable today. And no, don't go. Come in, make yourselves at home and we'll join you in a moment." He lowered his voice, "To be honest, I'm kind of grateful for the interruption."

Harry snickered again, then followed Louis into the flat. Zayn closed the door behind them and made his way to what Harry remembered was Liam's bedroom, while he himself grabbed Louis's wrist and tugged him into the living room. 

They sat down on the couch, Harry nestling into Louis instantly, and after a couple of seconds, they could hear hushed voices in the corridor. 

"You really should've told me they're here – they've heard me talk about your tight arse! Harry's only sixteen and we really should–"

"From what I've heard, he's not as innocent as you're trying to make him seem right now, so what's the big deal?"

"I'm just saying…"

Harry's cheeks coloured when he realized that Liam had obviously told Zayn about their little adventure at the office that one night, and buried his face in Louis's neck, while the other boy smirked and petted his curls. 

Liam came into the room and they were faced with impressive abs that were covered by a t-shirt a moment later. Liam tugged it down and gave them a smile. "Hey! I didn't expect to see you guys…"

Louis smiled sweetly. "If we'd known you were getting some, we obviously would've called," he said teasingly, making Liam blush a little. "We just wanted to check on you, see what's going on, you know? Lots of rumours at the office and no one knew any details, and since we're very nosy, we thought we'd come straight to the source to get the full story."

Liam rubbed the back of his neck. "Pretty sure most of what you've heard is true," he murmured before he turned to Zayn. "Should we make some dinner? Order in, cook something? Are you hungry?" He looked back at Harry and Louis, who nodded. 

"Sure," Harry said. "If it's not too much of an inconvenience, I'd love to have a bite."

Liam nodded. "All right, then…" He paused. "I'm not that great of a cook, to be honest…"

Harry stood up, pushing his sleeves up. "Leave it to me! I'll take care of it."

"I'll help you," Zayn offered, giving him a smile, which Harry returned before they disappeared into the kitchen, where they didn't have to look around for a long time before finding something edible – ever since Liam had started dating Zayn, his fridge was always full. 

Liam watched them leave, then flopped down on the couch beside Louis, taking a breath. 

"Long day?" Louis asked, the same teasing undertone from before in his voice. 

Liam gave him a look. "Yes," he answered. "Both in the good and bad sense. Losing my job wasn't so peachy, but the afternoon kind of made up for it…"

He smiled a little and Louis leaned in. "Is he _that_ good?"

Liam's cheeks flushed, but he couldn't deny it. "Yeah. Better, even."

Louis raised his brows and leaned back. "Can't say I'm surprised. He looks very… limber."

He smirked, then turned serious. "So the old man really did sack you? What _happened_ , Liam?"

"Yeah, it's true," Liam murmured. "And… we got into an argument, I suppose. I'll tell you later – I'm quite sure Harry's dying to know the details as well. For now… can I offer you a drink?"

"Always," Louis said, nodding. He watched Liam as he got up to pour them a couple of drinks, wondering if Styles had finally pushed Liam a little too far. He'd expected it to happen someday; he just hadn't expected Harry's dad to actually go as far as to fire Liam for speaking up. 

He accepted the drink gratefully and they sat in silence as they drank, both lost in thought. 

Dinner was ready a little while later, and both Liam and Louis looked appreciatively at the meal Harry and Zayn had prepared. It wasn't anything fancy, but chicken fajitas were never a bad thing. 

They gathered around the large dining table in the living room and prepared their fajitas while Zayn opened a bottle of red wine and poured them all a glass. Then they ate in relative silence until Harry couldn't wait any longer. 

"Okay. Seriously, Liam, what happened? Tell us everything."

Liam finished his second fajita and leaned back, swirling the wine in his glass and taking a sip. He set the glass down again, then took a breath. "I had a talk with your dad – he was updating me on some stuff and gave me more work, which is perfectly normal. Not complaining about that. But then I was just about to leave when he mentioned that I'd have to work this weekend – and not just during the day, but probably in the evening as well, and I just snapped. I basically told him to…" He hesitated, then sighed. "I told him to fuck off."

Harry's eyes widened and Louis choked on his wine. " _Seriously?_ " he gasped when he'd recovered after Harry had patted him on the back a few times. "You literally told him to fuck off?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Liam admitted sheepishly. "And it felt good. Harry – no offence, all right? I think your father is a great man and I respect him for everything he's achieved in life, but he's not the best boss. He's not exactly a people-person and has no idea how much work I've actually put into everything I've done for him over the years. And worse than that – there are people who've been working for us for a long time and he still hasn't bothered to learn their names. I'm not saying he's the worst boss I can imagine, but sometimes, he just doesn't seem to give a damn about any of us."

Harry shook his head. "Don't worry about it – you don't have to censor yourself because of me. I know he can be a bit of an arse, so…"

Liam nodded. "Well, I launched into this rant about how he makes me work too much and stuff, and then he told me to pack my stuff and leave. So I did and… kind of broke his door."

Harry snickered, while Louis just sat there, staring. "I have a hard time picturing you that angry, Liam," he admitted. "But to be honest, I'm not completely surprised. I expected you to crack at some point, and I think it was the right thing to do. Many of our co-workers are dissatisfied with the way he runs things and it's great that someone finally told him."

Liam nodded. "I suppose." He sighed, rubbing his face. "I just wish I'd said something earlier, and in a more respectful and calm way. Now I'm jobless and have to start all over again – and who's to say that I'll find a better job than this? Maybe my next employer will be worse."

Louis bit his lip and looked at him sympathetically, while Harry was staring at the wine in his glass, thinking. "I wouldn't give up hope," he said finally. "He may realize you're right and take you back."

Liam gave him a little smile. "I doubt that, Harry. You weren't there; you didn't see his face. I don't think he ever wants to see me again."

Harry shrugged. "Still, I wouldn't give up hope…"

Liam looked at him for a long moment, then smiled. "All right. But I'm sure we have more interesting things to talk about, so why don't you tell me about _your_ day instead?"

Harry and Louis both flushed a little and exchanged a grin; neither of them thought that Liam would approve very much of what they'd done in Louis's office that day. Louis managed to smoothly change the subject to their plans for the weekend, and the mood lightened considerably, once they moved away from the topic of work.

After dinner, which was a huge success and earned both Harry and Zayn a lot of compliments from their respective boyfriends, they took their glasses and conversation to the couches. They talked about Zayn's job for a bit; both Harry and Louis were fascinated when they heard about the glamorous – and not so glamorous – aspects of the modelling industry. 

All four of them got increasingly tipsy, since they were on their second bottle of wine now, and when Harry was practically asleep on his shoulder, Louis decided it was time to take his snuggly little kitten home. 

"Can you carry me?" Harry asked hopefully when Louis sat up, and when Louis raised a brow at him, he sighed heavily. "Fine. I guess I can make it to your place."

"I would carry you, love, but you're quite heavy, especially when you're sleepy, so…"

"I get it, I get it," Harry huffed. "I'm fat."

Louis rolled his eyes and pinched his arse when they he got up as well. "You're not fat and you know it. And if you're a good boy now…"

He trailed off and licked his lips suggestively, which woke Harry up instantly, and he beamed. 

They said goodbye to Liam and Zayn, thanked them for dinner, then left the flat to make their way to Louis's place. 

"I'm going to talk to my dad," Harry said when they'd walked in silence for a little while. "About Liam, I mean. He's got to know that Liam is the best person he's got and that he can't just fire him and think the firm is still gonna work without him. He needs Liam, and he has to realize that."

Louis gave him a fond smile. "I think that's a good idea, love. He's got to listen to you. I mean, you've been working with Liam for three weeks now, so you're probably the best judge for how hard he works."

Harry nodded. "I just hope he'll believe me."

He leaned against Louis, lacing their fingers together as they walked, already trying to come up with a way to broach the subject with his dad the next day. 

Back at Liam's, Zayn was cleaning up their mess – refusing Liam's offer to help – and climbed onto Liam's lap when he was done. He brushed his hair back and looked into his eyes. 

"Still thinking about it?" he asked softly. 

Liam sighed. "I can't help it. I don't want it to be on my mind constantly, but this job has been my life for so long, and it's just weird to think that I won't be going back there on Monday morning."

Zayn nodded. "I get that. But baby, why don't you just try to relax and enjoy your time off? You deserve this break – and Harry has a point. Styles will realize how much he needs you, and I wouldn't be surprised if he came over by the end of next week, begging you to come back."

He studied Liam's face thoughtfully, then smiled. "You know what we should do? We should go away for a bit – just the two of us. Someplace warm and sunny. When's the last time you were on vacation?" When Liam looked thoughtful and didn't reply for a whole minute, Zayn continued. "See? You're due for a holiday, babe. You need to get away from all this. You'll drive yourself mental if you stay here, where everything is a constant reminder of your current situation."

Liam gave him a little smile. "If you say so…"

Zayn was determined. "I do. On Monday, I'm gonna call my agent to cancel everything on my schedule, and I'm taking you somewhere nice where all you have to do is lie on the beach, enjoy the sun, eat and drink, and fuck my brains out. Sound good?"

Liam's smile widened and he nodded. "That sounds like an excellent idea," he agreed. 

He pressed his forehead against Zayn's and rubbed their noses together lightly before heaving a sigh. "I guess it's true when they say that you can't have everything. Either you have a successful career and no personal life, or you're in love and everything else is shit."

Zayn shook his head. "It may look that way at the moment, but you will have it all, Liam. I believe in you."

Liam looked at him adoringly and cupped the back of Zayn's neck, pulling him down for a deep, emotional kiss, pouring his heart and soul into it to show Zayn just how much it meant to him that he loved him so unconditionally and believed in him. 

And maybe Zayn was right. 

Maybe he should focus on being in love at the moment, and everything else would sort itself out eventually.


	31. Chapter 31

Harry went home the next morning after spending the night with Louis. He would've preferred to stay with him for the rest of the weekend, but since Liam's job literally depended on him at this point, talking to his father was Harry's priority at the moment.

His father's car was in the driveway when Harry arrived and made his way inside. He listened intently and after a second or two concluded that his father had to be upstairs. He made his way up to the second floor, nibbling his lip nervously as he approached the door to his father's study.

Hesitating for a moment and listening to make sure his father wasn't on the phone, he knocked softly, opened the door and peeked inside. "Hey dad."

His father looked up with a frown, his features softening when he saw Harry. He took off his glasses and even managed a half-smile. "What can I do for you, Harry?"

Harry slipped into the room and closed the door behind him, leaning against it. "I'd like to talk to you about something." 

"Sure, anything," his father said, waving at him to come closer, and Harry did, approaching the desk somewhat warily. He sat down across from his dad and licked his lip. 

"Okay look," he started. "It's about Liam. Now, I don't know–"

Harry didn't even get to finish the sentence; his father shut down immediately, narrowed his eyes and interrupted him. "No. I'm not discussing this with you. Payne was rude and disrespectful and I'm not discussing this with my sixteen year old son."

"What does my age have to do with this?" Harry asked, immediately pissed that his father didn't seem to value his opinion – or consider him an equal because he was only sixteen. It made him even more determined to make his dad listen. 

His father sighed and rubbed his forehead. "You may think Payne's behaviour was funny but–"

"I don't," Harry said, staring at him. "Of course I don't think it was funny, but I find it even less funny that you're being an arse about this and won't even listen to what I have to say."

His father stared at him, visibly torn between being appalled by his son's words, and impressed because he dared contradict him in such a way. He studied him for another moment, then waved his hand, inviting Harry to continue. "All right then. Say what you have to say."

"Liam doesn't deserve this," Harry said at once. "He's been working for you for how many years now? And have you ever had anything to complain about? Did you ever get the impression that he doesn't do his work meticulously? There. You can't base this on one single instance; you can't sack him just because he did _one_ bad thing. He's stressed as hell, dad, you have no idea. I've been helping him these past weeks and his workload is insane! It's literally impossible for one single person to get all of that done, so you should really consider this before making decisions that could potentially ruin his whole life!"

He took a breath. "Did you know that he sometimes stays at the office till eleven at night? Yeah. And he's never late in the morning; always present at eight in the morning at the latest. Sometimes he even takes his work home because he can't do it all during normal work hours, and it just doesn't seem fair to me that someone with his qualifications has to do stuff that's so below him and not even get to have any free time to spend with his partner. It's just not fair, okay? And he's been quiet for years, silently accepting everything you've made him do ever since he started working there, and it's not right for you to just kick him out the moment he voices his opinion. I'm not saying the way he told you was right, but you can't blame him for snapping. He's under a lot of pressure and whatever you told him to do just was too much for him."

He took a breath. "So… I'm asking you to reconsider your decision. No – I'm _telling_ you to reconsider it. Cause it's just not fair. He's the best you've got and you don't even see it. And if you do take him back – which I sincerely hope you do – you need to promote him. Let him practice bloody law instead of making him take care of all that stupid paperwork 'cause I bet he's really, really good at it. You've got plenty of employees with no qualifications, so let them do what he does now and allow him to do what he actually studied for God knows how many years. Let Eleanor do the sodding paperwork; it's not like she's good for anything else."

He stood up agitatedly. "And if you don't take him back, then I'll be really disappointed in you and may never forgive you, you stubborn git!"

He flushed and bit his lip. "And that's all I've got to say."

He exited his father's study quickly before he said something he might regret later. Maybe he'd said too much already. Maybe he'd fucked it all up when he'd called his father an arse and stubborn git, and he felt his heart sink when he realised that he might've just made it worse for Liam. 

Walking into his bedroom and throwing himself onto his bed, he groaned, burying his face in his pillow for a long moment before he reached for his phone and called Louis, having promised to call him as soon as he'd talked to his dad. 

"How did it go?" Louis asked when he picked up, and Harry bit his lip. 

"I don't know. I said everything I had to say… I did get a little angry, though, so I hope I didn't mess it up."

"I'm sure you did great, babycakes," Louis murmured comfortingly, a little smile in his voice. "It can't get any worse for Liam, right? You've said what you wanted to say, and if your father has any common sense at all, he'll know what to do. Don't worry, all right?"

Harry sighed. "You're probably right." He paused, nibbling his lip as he went over everything he'd said again, and groaned as he buried his face in his pillow. "Can I come over later?"

"Sure, love, you can always come over. I'll be home all day, doing laundry, so you'll know where to find me."

Harry perked up a little. "Laundry day, huh? Does this mean you're naked right now?"

Louis laughed, and a smile tugged on the corners of Harry's mouth. He loved Louis's laugh; it always made him feel better. 

"Not exactly," Louis replied when he'd stopped giggling. "I'm actually wearing the scariest outfit I have. Picture this – pink flowery shorts and a bright yellow t-shirt. I look stunning."

Harry snorted. "I bet you do." He rolled onto his side and smiled into the phone. "So I'll see you later then."

"Yeah, definitely. Wear sunglasses, though; the brightness of my outfit may cause blindness."

Harry grinned. "I'll keep it in mind."

He could feel Louis smile on the other end of the line before he said, "Right. I'll see you later then… Love you."

Harry smiled. "I love you too."

He hung up and sighed happily, rolling onto his back – then squeaked out loud and sat up when he saw his father standing in the doorway, looking at him calculatingly. "Dad! You scared me. Bloody hell…"

"I'm sorry," the older man said with a genuinely apologetic expression on his face. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then came into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at Harry. "So. Stubborn git, huh?"

Harry flushed. "Yeah," he murmured. "Sorry about that. Just slipped out."

His father looked amused. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I did react impulsively, and rest assured that I'll definitely take what you've said into consideration when I rethink my decision. You seem to have a very strong and positive opinion about Payne, so… I'll keep it in mind."

Harry let out a breath of relief. "Thanks, dad. And yeah, I do. He's really great, honestly. He gets all his work done yet still always finds the time to talk to me, make sure I'm all right, and he's just… really good at everything he does. So you shouldn't let someone as good as him go. That's all I'm saying."

His father nodded and Harry could see that he was already thinking about it – which was all Harry could've asked for. 

There was a brief silence, and Harry felt his cheeks heat up again when his dad looked at him intently. "Are you dating someone, Harry?

Harry's eyes widened a little and he bit his lip. "What… makes you think that?"

His father smiled. "I heard the end of your phone call, Harry, and I've never heard you say 'I love you' to Niall the way you just said it to whoever you were talking to. Besides, you've been doing a lot of sleepovers. I'm not blind, you know?"

"Oh."

Another brief silence followed before his father continued, "I hope you'll consider introducing her to me at some point? Please don't think you have to hide your girlfriend from me. I actually _can_ behave, so I promise I wouldn't embarrass you or anything. I wouldn't bring out the baby pictures until later."

Harry's eyebrows shot up. He really hadn't expected his father to take an interest in his love life, and he was desperate to tell him about this. He really wanted to let his dad know that he was seeing Louis and that he was the love of his life, but the fact that his dad automatically assumed that he was dating a _girl_ made him hesitate. Because he actually had no idea how his father would feel about him being gay. And in love with a boy who was a bit older than him. And who worked for his father. 

Yeah, no, he definitely wasn't ready to share those details with him. Not yet anyway. 

"You will, someday," he promised hesitantly. "It's just really new, so… I don't think we're quite ready to meet the parents, you know?"

His father nodded. "Of course. Take your time. I'm just putting it out there. I may not always show it, but I actually _am_ interested in your life."

He ran a hand through Harry's curls and Harry leaned into the very rare touch unconsciously. He smiled when his father got up and went back to whatever he was working on, feeling much better than before. Liam would most definitely get his job back and maybe, just maybe, Harry would soon be able to tell his dad that he was in love with Louis.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Much later that day, when Zayn was snoozing on his shoulder, having fallen asleep during the film they were watching, Liam reached for his laptop and logged into his email account, still feeling restless. He hadn't been able to sleep much the previous night; had been tossing and turning for hours before he'd finally found some rest and stopped thinking about his current situation. He tapped his fingers on the keyboard impatiently while he waited for it to load everything. His need for electronic devices was kind of pathetic, and he swore to himself that when he and Zayn were going away together, he'd leave both his laptop and his phone at home. 

His inbox was filled with spam messages, various work-related emails and a couple of invitations to birthday parties of friends he hadn't seen in years. But one email in particular caught his attention and made him tense, and he took a deep breath before he opened the one the untitled one that had, apparently, been sent to him by Mr. Styles.

_Liam,_

_I've been thinking about the other day a lot and have come to the conclusion that you deserve a chance to explain yourself, which is why I'm asking you to come in on Monday, so we can discuss my decision to let you go. It may have been a little impulsive._

_I hope you have a good weekend._

_Regards,_

_Edward Styles_

He reread it three times before he allowed himself to believe that it was actually _real_ and not just some joke. Styles actually wanted to see him again – and he'd called him by his first name, which had never happened before. 

Sceptical about the whole thing at first, Liam soon felt relief wash over him at the prospect of getting to explain himself and possibly getting his job back. He wasn't sure _why_ his boss was suddenly reconsidering his decision, but he wasn't going to complain either way. Even if, after everything, Styles decided not to hire him back, Liam would get the chance to apologize for his exaggerated use of the f-word, and to tell Styles exactly what he didn't like about the way he handled things. 

As he set his laptop aside and snuggled into Zayn again, he suddenly wondered if Harry had anything to do with this. If that was the case, Liam would forever be in his debt. But hopefully he'd be able to return the favour someday.


	32. Chapter 32

On Monday morning, after spending most of his Sunday talking about possibly getting his job back and driving Zayn crazy by running around and fretting over what he was going to say to his boss, Liam got up early and ready to go to the office. Zayn made him breakfast because Liam was incapable of doing anything himself, too nervous about the impending talk with Mr. Styles.

"Just be yourself, Liam," Zayn said for the hundredth time, after he'd forced Liam to drink some coffee and eat some toast. "And if I were you, I wouldn't be impossibly polite, the way you always are. Just tell him how you feel about everything, because if he doesn't want someone working for him who actually speaks his mind, he doesn't deserve you."

Liam finally saw that Zayn was right, and after kissing him goodbye, made his way to the office. 

All eyes were on him the moment he entered the building. There was a lot of whispering going on around him, which only increased Liam's nervousness. It definitely wasn't helping him be calm and collected, the way he'd hoped to be during this conversation. 

He took a deep breath as he entered the boss's office. 

The talk went rather well; after some initial hesitation, Liam realised that Styles actually _wanted_ to hear what he had to say, and he let go of his inhibitions and told him everything he liked and disliked about the way the older man ran things. He gave him some suggestions, then clearly stated what he expected in order for him to even consider coming back, which included an actual promotion with a higher salary, more time in the courtroom, one or two new employees to help him with everything he had to do – _and_ some much-needed vacation time. And to his surprise, Styles didn't protest for a second before he granted him everything he demanded. 

Liam was stunned when he left the office a good half hour later, a smile tugging on the corners of his mouth when he realised that things finally _were_ going to get better around here. 

"Liam!" Harry called when Liam was on his way to his own office, and Liam whirled around, giving the younger boy a smile. "How did it go?"

"It went very well, Harry. Do you want to come in for a moment?"

Harry smiled. "Sure."

He followed Liam into the room, closing the door behind him, then blinked when Liam suddenly wrapped his arms around him and hugged him. He relaxed and smiled after a moment, returning the embrace and smiling when he felt the tension leave Liam's body as he collapsed against him. 

When Liam drew back, he was looking at him seriously. "I have a feeling I need to thank you for this," he said softly. "You said something to him, didn't you?"

Harry shifted a little uncomfortably, but smiled and nodded. "I didn't _tell_ him to take you back – I just asked him to reconsider his decision and maybe happened to mentioned how fucking lost he'd be without you. Because it's true – you're the only one around here who actually takes work seriously. He'd be ruined without you. And you've been so good to me; I couldn't just do nothing, Liam."

He smiled. "I'm glad it all worked out."

"So am I," Liam sighed, looking at Harry gratefully. "I just… thank you, Harry. You don't know how much this means to me, I…" 

He paused. "How am I ever going to repay you?"

Harry shook his head instantly. "You don't need to do anything, Liam. I'm just glad it all worked out. Just… don't let it get this far again, all right? Next time you have something to complain about, say something right away and don't wait until you can't take it anymore."

Liam smiled. "That's the best advice anyone's ever given me, so… yes. I'll make sure to complain more from now on."

Harry laughed. "I'm not saying you should whine about every little thing you dislike – I don’t think that would make a terribly good impression. But just… be more demanding. You've studied and worked hard to get here; you've proven you're amazing at this, so you don't have to say yes and Amen to everything he makes you do."

Liam nodded. "I know that now. But… Harry, if there's anything I can do for you, just say the word, all right? I don't like being in someone's debt, so if you have any requests; if there's anything you need, just tell me and I'll do my best to help you."

Harry smiled. "I'll keep it in mind."

They looked at each other for a moment, then Liam let out a breath. "Right. I suppose we should get started then, huh?"

Harry rolled his eyes and grimaced, but nodded. "Probably."

Liam walked to his desk and picked up a pile of documents and files and handed them to Harry. 

Harry gave him a smile, and after Liam had thanked him one more time, very profusely, he left, happy that he'd been able to help.

When Harry had closed the door and turned around, he ran straight into someone, dropping everything Liam had just given him. "Ah, fuck," he cursed, then slapped a hand over his mouth. "Fuck, I'm sorry. And I said fuck twice. Three times. I'm sorry."

He looked up apologetically, but then his face darkened a little when he saw that the person he'd run into was Eleanor. 

" _Careful_ there," she chirped, a too-friendly smile on her face. 

"Eleanor," Harry muttered in response, his displeasure obvious. He couldn't help it – he _knew_ he had no reason to hate her, but he kind of did.

"Hi Harry," she said, her voice high-pitched and still, too friendly. She gave him a smile that made a cold shiver run down his back and he eyed her suspiciously before kneeling down to pick up the files. He really didn't know why she made him feel so uneasy; she just… did.

When he'd gathered all the documents in his arms, he stood up again and made to walk past her, ignoring her creepy smile and quickly making his way to his own office. 

What the fuck was wrong with that girl?

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The first thing Liam did when he was alone, was reach for the phone and call Zayn. And when Zayn picked up, he grinned. "Guess who got his job back?"

"You _did_?" Zayn sounded happy for him. "I'm not surprised – see? I told you there was nothing to worry about. So what did you say? What did _he_ say? Tell me everything!"

Liam told him what had happened, practically retelling the whole conversation they'd had, unable to keep the smile off his face. "And on top of getting more court time and more money, I'll have the next two weeks off, so we _can_ actually go somewhere, if you still want to."

"Are you serious?" Zayn asked, the smile evident in his voice. "That would be so great, Liam – are you sure? And of course I still want to – I'm going to book a flight and hotel right away, so _you_ can't change your mind about it. Where do you want to go? We can go anywhere you like."

"I'll leave that up to you," Liam said, glad to have made Zayn happy. He literally couldn't wait for the weekend to come. Two weeks with Zayn alone in some faraway place with sun and a beach was an amazing prospect. He wasn't sure when he'd last been able to look forward to something that amazing – but it had been a while ago. It didn't even matter where they went; as long as he could spend two weeks focusing on his boyfriend, he would be happy.

"All right then," Zayn said cheerfully. "I'll find us something nice. So…" He paused. "Do you think you'll actually be home early tonight?"

Liam smiled. "I think I will be. Come to the office around six, yeah? I'm taking you out to dinner."

Zayn all but squeaked happily on the other end of the line, and when they eventually hung up, Liam had a feeling he'd finally done something right.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Harry spent half the day working on the files Liam had given him, and found that he was getting everything done much faster than he usually did. He suspected that just knowing he'd made Liam happy made time pass faster, and about an hour after coming back from lunch, Harry was done with everything. 

He went back to Liam, asking if there was anything else he could do, but Liam told him to take a break and come back later. Harry considered going back to his office and going online for a bit, but then changed his mind and decided the best way to spend a break was by kissing Louis. 

And Louis was very busy today, so he was quite sure that he would appreciate a break as well. 

He knocked on his door and went inside, smiling when he found Louis bent over his desk, reading some sort of report or something and wearing those bloody glasses. 

"Those look so hot on you," he sighed after watching him for a moment. "I don't know why you don't wear them all the time."

Louis looked up and smiled. "Because I only need them to read and look at the computer screen," he answered, leaning back. "But if you like them that much, I can wear them more often. Now… come here, you."

Harry beamed and made his way over to Louis, straddling him and wrapping his arms around his neck. He brushed Louis' hair back and kissed his nose, giving him an adoring smile.

"So, I assume everything went well with Liam and your father?" Louis asked, sliding his hands down Harry's back to rest on the curve of his arse. Harry leaned into the touch, sighing happily, and nodded. 

"Yup. Everything went perfectly. He's got his job back and seems really happy, so it's all good."

"Good," Louis smiled. He looked up at him, and Harry looked back. He smiled slowly, waggling his eyebrows seductively and making Louis swallow hard and sigh.

A moment later, _he_ was the one to groan when Louis cupped his arse and picked him up suddenly, setting him down on his desk and getting between his legs. He pushed him down on it and captured his lips in a kiss that was so deep and passionate that it made Harry's toes curl and a helpless gasp escape his lips. He sank his fingers into Louis' hair, holding onto him as he returned the kiss, his hand immediately sliding down Louis' chest to rest between his legs. 

"Fuck," Louis murmured, hips jerking forward into the touch, while he tugged Harry's shirt out of his trousers and slipped his hands under it, stroking his sides. 

Harry moaned and arched into the touch, fumbling with the fastenings of Louis' trousers and sliding his hand into his boxers, wrapping his fingers around Louis' cock. He stroked him firmly, moaning when Louis' lips brushed his jaw and neck, sucking firmly on his pulse point. He craned his neck to give him better access, tightening his hand around Louis' cock and making it twitch in his palm. 

"I want you," he breathed when he tangled his free hand in Louis' hair and tugged him down for another hard, longing kiss. "Fuck me, Louis."

Louis let out a helpless moan and his hips jerked forward. "I intend to," he murmured, pushing Harry's shirt up to press open-mouthed kisses to his stomach and chest, licking his nipples with the tip of his tongue. Harry let his head fall back and tightened his fingers in Louis' hair and around his cock, his own trousers becoming uncomfortably tight. 

Louis' mouth travelled its way down his body and Harry closed his eyes, enjoying every second of it. He bit his lip and whimpered, panting heavily when Louis moved closer to his crotch with teasing slowness. 

His heart was pounding so loudly that he could barely hear anything else. He dug his teeth into his lips when Louis trailed his tongue around his bellybutton, his eyelids fluttering.

It took a moment for his eyes to open completely, but when they did, his heart jumped into his throat and he froze when the suddenly open door of Louis' office came into focus and he found his dad standing there, staring at them. 

He sat up abruptly, almost knocking Louis unconscious with the force of it. "Dad!"


	33. Chapter 33

"Dad!"

Louis hissed. "Ow, careful, love. Don't get me wrong; I quite like it when you get rough on me, but calling me dad may be a little…"

Louis trailed off when he noticed Harry staring at the door, and slowly turned his head, fearing the worst. And his suspicion was confirmed a moment later when he found Harry's father standing in the doorway, looking slightly agitated, to put it mildly. 

"Dad, it's not what it looks like, I–," Harry started, but was interrupted instantly. 

"In my office. Both of you. _Now_ ," he said in a tone that allowed no contradiction. He turned on his heel and marched back to his office, revealing a slightly too pleased-looking Eleanor who had either just appeared or been standing behind him all the time. 

"You really should've been more careful, boys," she said softly, eyes widening innocently.

Louis rubbed his forehead, already prepared to pack his things and leave because there was no way he was not gonna get fired now. He'd screwed up. After making sure to always be careful and lock the door when he and Harry were doing something like this, he'd let this happen, and now he would have to accept the consequences, whether he wanted to or not. He turned back to look at Harry who suddenly looked murderous. Before Louis could ask what was going on, Harry had jumped off the desk and was approaching Eleanor rapidly. He grabbed her by her blouse and slammed her into the wall. 

"You… This was you! You told him; you did something! I always knew you couldn't be trusted, you selfish little bitch," he hissed. Louis' eyes widened; he had no idea what was going on or why Harry would suspect that Eleanor, of all people, had something to do with this, but he was by Harry's side at once, gently but determinedly pulling him off her before Harry did something he'd regret.

"Harry, love, calm down. I know you two don't particularly like each other, but you can't just accuse her of–"

Harry whirled around and stared at him with wide, betrayed eyes. "You believe _her_ over _me_? Louis, I'm telling you – she did this. She saw us; she told him, she… she brought him here, Louis, trust me on this!"

Louis bit his lip as he looked back at Eleanor, who looked more than a little taken aback, and also a bit scared of Harry. He couldn't blame her; Harry looked like he was about to start an actual catfight, with hair-pulling and scratching and everything. Under different circumstances, Louis actually wouldn't mind seeing that, but… He shook his head and took a breath, glancing at Eleanor.

"Eleanor… you had nothing to do with this, did you?" he asked, forcing himself to stay calm, even though he was quite nervous about his impending talk with Harry's father and really didn't have the nerve to deal with a jealous boyfriend and ex lover right now.

"Of course not," Eleanor breathed, glancing over at Harry. "I didn't even know about you two; and what would I gain from exposing your… secret relationship, or whatever it is? I wouldn't do something like that; you know me, Louis."

She looked completely honest, and gave Louis no reason to mistrust her, so he looked back at Harry and shrugged. "See?"

Harry's face fell, and Louis bit his lip. Of course he always wanted to be on Harry's side, but it wasn't as if he had any actual proof that Eleanor was the one who was responsible for this, so what was he supposed to do? Still, he had a feeling he'd just made a capital mistake here. 

Harry stepped back and shook his head, then pushed Eleanor again and glared at her. "I know you did this and I'm going to prove it. I should've known. I just… ugh, get the hell out of my face."

He pushed past her and left the room, and Louis looked after him, rubbing the back of his neck. 

Well… fuck.

"Quite temperamental, the little one, isn't he?" Eleanor laughed breathlessly when Harry was gone, stroking his arm lightly and giving him a coy smile. Louis narrowed his eyes. 

"I really hope for your sake that you had nothing to do with this, El. I really, really do."

He took a deep breath and straightened his clothes, then walked out of the room and made his way to Harry's dad's office, his heart pounding.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Meanwhile, Harry had already entered his father's office. 

"Dad," he said before the older man could say anything. "I know you're mad, and I understand why you feel that way. But let me speak before you say something because I swear to God, it's not what it looks like. Louis isn't taking advantage of me or anything, if that's what you believe. In fact, I pretty much initiated the whole thing. I love him. We've been seeing each other for weeks now, and I know it's technically not allowed, but it's not like I work here permanently or anything; in less than a week, I will be gone, and you won't have to deal with an office romance, or whatever you'd like to call it. I know it seems like I keep doing this, but I'm begging you not to punish Louis for this. If you've got to punish someone, fire me. It's not like you were actually expecting me to get through these four weeks without making a huge mistake, so…"

He laughed bitterly. "You win. Go ahead and fire me. No, actually, I'll spare you the trouble – I'm leaving. But before I go, I just… I think you should look into Eleanor's motives, cause she's a fake little snake, and I'm pretty sure she's slept with half the office, so _that's_ what you should be focusing on, not the fact that I've finally found someone I love and that, okay, we've broken a few rules. But it's not like he was using me to get somewhere; he loves me and if you can't see that, then… then I can't help you."

He swallowed hard and pushed his hair back. "I'm gonna go now. I know I can't make you do anything, but please don’t be too hard on Louis. Please. He's a really good guy, does his work seriously…" He paused. "Or he does when I don't distract him, and… he really shouldn't have to pay for my mistakes. Just… think about it, and I suppose we'll talk at home."

He swallowed hard, then left the office, running into Louis, who was on his way in. He looked at him for a moment, then left, ignoring Louis' soft, "Harry…"

Instead, he made his way to Liam's office, entering without knocking. 

"Hey," he said softly. "I just wanted to say goodbye, in case I don’t see you anymore."

Liam's brow furrowed as he looked up at him curiously. "Why wouldn't you see me anymore? What's going on, Harry? You look quite flustered. Did something happen?"

He got up and approached Harry.

"You could say that," he murmured. "Dad just walked in on me and Louis, and… I don't know what he's gonna do, but I don't feel like staying right now. I'm sure that Eleanor has something to do with this – 'cause when does my dad _ever_ bother checking on his employees himself? There's something fishy going on here, but I have no proof and Louis won't believe me, so I'm leaving. I just… I'll miss you. We'll keep in touch, yeah?"

Liam seemed speechless but managed to return the hug Harry gave him, but Harry left before Liam could say anything else. He left the office with another hateful look at Eleanor, and went straight home. 

He ignored Louis' phone calls that afternoon and just spent his time watching TV and stuffing his face with unhealthy food until he heard the door downstairs open and knew his father was home. He wasn't sure what to expect, and didn't go downstairs to greet him, wanting to prolong this blissful ignorance for as long as he could. 

When he heard his father's footsteps on the stairs, his stomach tightened and his heart started beating a little faster. A soft knock followed, and Harry looked up when the door opened. 

"May I come in?" his father asked after looking at him for a moment. 

Harry swallowed hard and shrugged, looking back at the telly. "It's your house," he murmured. He didn't even _want_ to be this hostile; he knew that a lot could depend on his behaviour right now, but he still wasn't over the anger and disappointment he'd experienced this afternoon when Louis had chosen to believe Eleanor, rather than him. And Eleanor… just the thought of her made him want to punch something.

His dad sat down next to him, and Harry moved over to make room for him. He kept his eyes on the television screen, too scared to look at his father right now, afraid of what he'd find there if he looked.

"Harry," came his father's voice a moment later, but Harry didn't budge. He kept staring at the screen, even when his dad reached for the remote control and turned the tv off. 

There was an awkward silence for a moment before hi father spoke again.

"Harry… I'm disappointed," he said, and Harry's heart sank. He should've expected this. He shouldn't have assumed his father would listen to him or accept this. 

Harry couldn't help snorting at his own stupidity. How naïve _was_ he?

"Because I started something with someone older than me, right?" he said after repeating his father's words a few times in his head, to make it hurt even more. "Or is it because he's a co-worker? Oh no, wait, it's the whole gay thing, right? Yeah, that's probably it." 

"No," was his reply, and that finally made Harry look up and frown at his father curiously. The older man was looking back at him and there was no hate or disgust in his eyes. Harry opened his mouth, then closed it, not sure what to say or how to react. His father shook his head. "No, I'm not disappointed about the fact that you're gay or in love with Louis Tomlinson. He's nineteen, twenty? That's a perfectly acceptable age difference."

He took a breath. "The reason I'm disappointed is the fact that you felt you had to hide this from me."

Harry stared, and after letting the words sink in for a moment, his father continued. "I know we haven't been particularly close lately, but when did I ever give you the impression that you can't talk to me about your life – or that I wouldn't accept your sexuality? Of course I'm surprised. I didn't expect this because you've never contradicted me when I said girlfriend rather than boyfriend, so I always just assumed…" He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't care, Harry. I don't care if you like boys or girls or both; all I care about is your happiness. And of course I'm not thrilled you chose to explore said sexuality during work hours, but I remember what it's like to be young and in love and unable to keep your hands to yourself."

He smiled a little at that and Harry groaned, flushing a little. "Too much information, dad…"

His father laughed and reached over to run his fingers through Harry's hair, brushing it out of his face. "Just… please talk to me from now on, Harry. That's all I'm asking. I don't want that kind of secrets between us. I don't want you to be scared of me or think that you can't tell me everything, all right?"

He leaned forward and kissed Harry's forehead, then rose to his feet and made his way to the door. 

Before he left the room, he turned to look at him one last time. "What I said the other day still stands, by the way. Whenever you're ready, I'd like to meet Louis – well, meet him _outside_ of work – so invite him to dinner sometime, all right? I'd like to meet this lad who's got you throwing all caution to the wind."

He gave him a look, a small smile on his lips as he finally left the room and a very confused and overwhelmed Harry.


	34. Chapter 34

When his father had left his room, Harry leaned back and blinked a couple of times. He'd expected them to get into a huge fight and almost kill each other by the end of the conversation, but it had gone surprisingly well. Almost too well. 

He wasn't sure how he'd thought his dad would react to finding out about his sexuality and the fact that he was seeing Louis, but the last thing he'd expected was for his father to be disappointed he hadn't told him sooner. He didn't only seem okay with it, but downright happy that Harry had found someone. If Harry had known he would be so cool about the whole thing, he _would_ have broached the subject days, if not weeks ago. 

Finally certain that it hadn't been just a huge joke, Harry allowed the smile that was tugging on the corners of his mouth to appear, and rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the tension leave his body. It wasn't like he'd thought about coming out all the time; that it had been a constant worry of his, but it still felt good to have his dad finally know. They wouldn't have to hide anymore. 

He looked at his phone, knowing it was time to call Louis now, and his smile faltered a little as he nibbled his lip thoughtfully. He wasn't entirely sure what to say to Louis right now. He didn't want to be the stupid, jealous boyfriend who couldn't forgive Louis for something that probably hadn't been a big deal in the first place. He was still disappointed that Louis had taken Eleanor's side and not even taken a moment to actually consider what Harry was accusing her of, but maybe it was time to get over it. 

But how could he, when the mere thought of her made him want to punch someone (preferably Eleanor herself)?

For Harry, it was obvious. Eleanor had been _right there_ the entire time – or had appeared when his dad had gone back to his office. Usually, Eleanor stayed near her desk, busy having (often _personal_ ) phone calls, and for Harry, it was no coincidence that she had been there at that moment. She wasn't usually found roaming the hallways unless there was a reason for it. And she hadn't looked particularly busy that afternoon, which made it quite obvious that she had known what would happen and wanted to be there to laugh in their faces.

But he had no proof. 

He sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his neck again before reaching for his phone and scrolling down until he found Louis' number. He hesitated for a long moment, then made himself press the 'call' button, and lay down on the bed, rolling onto his side as he waited for Louis to pick up. 

"Finally," Louis breathed the moment he did. "I thought you were never going to talk to me again. I am so sorry, Harry. I know I was a prick this afternoon, and I shouldn't have defended Eleanor so easily when we both know she's a bit…" He trailed off, looking for the right word. 

Harry raised a brow. "A bit of a snake? Bitch? Cunt?" he supplied helpfully, then slapped a hand over his mouth because those weren't words he usually used. He just really, really, _really_ disliked that woman – and hated it. He didn't _want_ to be so suspicious and jealous of her, but he couldn't help it. 

"Sorry."

Louis chuckled on the other end of the line. "Yeah. I guess you could say that," he murmured. "Either way, I'm sorry about the whole thing, Haz."

There was a brief pause before he asked, "Can you forgive me?"

Harry sighed heavily and nodded reluctantly – but he just couldn't stay mad at Louis when he didn't entirely deserve it. "Yeah. But. I need you to take me a little more seriously in the future, okay? I'm not saying I expect you to take my side every time and agree with everything I say, because obviously I can't be right _all_ the time. But this afternoon, you looked at me like I was completely deluded and made me feel like a child whose opinion doesn't deserve to be valued, and… I'd rather not feel like that again."

"I'm sorry," Louis said, voice soft. "I didn't mean to, Harry. You know I love you and think you're smart and I really do value your opinion. I guess… at that moment, I was just freaking out over the whole situation, you know? Do you get that? I mean, your dad had just walked in on us and I was half on top of you, pants down, and… I was sure he was going to fire me. And then you had your little fit and almost bodily attacked Eleanor – I think I just wasn't thinking clearly at the time."

Now _Harry_ felt bad. "Oh. Right. I'm sorry. You're right – I should've thought of that. Didn't even consider it." He took a deep breath and decided to change the subject. Eleanor just wasn't worth it. "But… he didn't fire you, right?"

"He didn't," Louis confirmed. 

Harry relaxed and pulled his covers up around himself. "So what _did_ he say?" he asked curiously. 

"It was… interesting," Louis said, his smile obvious. "I think it was the first time he actually looked at me, to be honest. He usually doesn't bother with what he probably considers unimportant employees like me, but this time, he actually took the time to listen to my side of the story, and then sent me out. I had no idea whether I was sacked or not at that point, but later, he came back to my office and… told me I wasn't fired and that I could even expect a promotion soon.

"Really?" Harry's smile widened and he sat up. "He offered you a promotion?"

"Yeah. Sort of. I don't know – the whole thing was really confusing," Louis said, sounding confused, but at the same time as happy as Harry felt. "I guess flirting with the boss's son wasn't a bad idea in the end."

Harry laughed. "I guess not. I totally didn't expect any of this, though. I mean, he came home and basically just asked me why I didn't tell him about us sooner, whether I was afraid of him and stuff… I thought he was going to ground me forever and forbid me to see you again."

He paused. "He does want to meet you, though, officially, and as his potential future son-in-law…"

Louis laughed, then suddenly stopped and groaned. "Oh god. I'm not sure how I feel about that… it's going to be as awkward as I imagine, isn't it?"

"I think so, yeah. Best to get it over with as soon as possible," Harry laughed, rolling onto his back and rubbing his face. "How about this weekend?"

Louis pondered for a second or two. "Yeah, I think we should. Restaurant, or…"

"I'll cook," Harry offered. "I think at home, it would be a little more comfortable and relaxed, you know?"

"Definitely," Louis agreed, taking a deep breath. 

Harry smiled when he heard the slight shakiness in it. "Don't be nervous. Just… be yourself and he'll love you as much as I love you." He smiled, and heard Louis snicker on the other end. 

"I hope he doesn't love me _quite_ as much as that. Could be a little weird if he came onto me…"

Harry snorted. "Yeah. Yeah, that would be awkward."

He smiled, and silence fell over them for a little while. 

"So we're okay then?" Louis asked eventually, sounding hesitant. 

Harry nodded. "Yeah… yeah, we're perfect."

Louis smiled. "We are. Well, _you_ you are."

Harry flushed and buried his face in the pillow, smiling widely when his stomach fluttered lightly. Louis' little compliments always made him feel like the most special person in the world.

"We should thank Liam, though," Louis said after a moment of silence. 

Harry frowned curiously. "Why?"

He paused, his eyes widening a bit when he understood. "Wait, do you think he had something to do with this?"

"Mhm," Louis murmured. "Yeah. I think he had a little chat with your dad after I left his office, and he probably put in a good word for both of us. After everything you've done for him, he probably wanted to return the favour. I wouldn't be surprised; it's such a Liam thing to do."

"Oh," Harry said, pushing his hair back. "Yeah, that makes sense. We definitely need to thank him, then."

Louis agreed, and they made plans to thank Liam profusely, and maybe take him and Zayn out to dinner at some point.

They talked for another few minutes, but since both of them were tired after that very eventful day, they hung up a little while later. 

Before going to bed, Harry made his way downstairs to find his father in front of the telly. He leaned against the doorway and watched him for a moment, then cleared his throat, waiting for his dad to look up. When he did, Harry smiled. "Hey. I just… wanted to say thank you. For everything. Other people's dads wouldn't have reacted as great as you did today, and I just wanted to thank you for being so amazing about this whole thing."

His dad smiled and nodded. "Of course, Harry," he said softly, patting the couch next to him, and Harry walked over and sat down. "All I want is for you to be happy, and I honestly don't care about your romantic of sexual preferences. And since you told me that Louis _does_ make you happy, I don't need to hear anything else."

Harry smiled. "Still. And I really appreciate that you didn't fire him, by the way. He's really good at what he does, and I promise it was me who initiated everything today."

He flushed a little, remembering the awkward position his dad had caught them in. Then he quickly pushed it to the back of his mind before things could get weird – or he accidentally mentioned it.

"I believe you," his father answered. "And I know he's really good, so…I'm going to make sure that he gets the recognition he deserves."

Harry nodded. "Thank you. He'll appreciate that. And so do I."

He paused, thinking. "Oh, and about dinner? I was thinking we could maybe do it this weekend? I could cook something, and he could come over and then you could meet him and get to know him and stuff? Just… can you try to not make it awkward?"

Harry's dad laughed. "Why would I make it awkward?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know – but dads have the tendency to ask really embarrassing questions and be really intimidating, and I just don't want Louis to feel uncomfortable."

He got a smile in response. "I promise I'll try to be good. Whether I'll succeed or not, remains to be seen."

Harry eyed him suspiciously, then grinned. "Okay, fair enough. I guess that's all I can ask."

He paused for a moment, looking at the screen, then stifled a yawn. "I should get to bed. Kinda knackered, so… I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course." His father nodded, and after standing up, Harry suddenly leaned forward and hugged the older man for a long moment. "Love you, dad," he murmured, closing his eyes.

"I love you too, Harry. Sleep well, all right?"

He stroked Harry's curls for a moment, then let go when Harry drew back. Harry smiled and went back upstairs into his room and smiled up at the ceiling as he threw himself onto his bed and stretched. 

Things really seemed to be looking up for him. His relationship with his father was much better than only a couple of weeks ago, he had a wonderful boyfriend, had gained a real friend in Liam, and now that there were only a few days of work left, he was looking forward to the rest of his summer break.

He closed his eyes and fell asleep a few minutes later.


	35. Chapter 35

The next morning, before he could even enter the building, Liam found himself with an armful of Harry. He blinked, but returned the hug after a moment, smiling. "Good morning to you too," he said cheerfully. "What's this for, then?"

Harry drew back and looked at him incredulously. "Are you serious right now? You're probably the only reason why Louis still has a job and why my dad reacted so calmly to the whole thing and you're asking me why you're getting a hug? Please, Liam."

He smiled. "You really didn't have to do this, you know? I know you felt the need to do something for me because I told my dad to rethink his decision about firing you, but… you really didn't _have_ to do it, especially considering you warned us so many times about being careful when we're together inside the office. So thank you. Thank you _so_ much."

Liam smiled back. "I didn't _only_ do it because you did something for me, Harry. I did it because for the past three weeks, you've been helping me enormously and I seriously don't know how I would've got through that time without your help. So consider it my way of saying thank you for being an excellent assistant."

"All right," Harry said with a smile. "I guess that works."

"Good," Liam murmured. "So everything went all right then?"

"Yeah. Everything went perfectly." Harry nodded as they made their way to the lift. "What did you say to him anyway?"

Liam pressed the button and watched the doors close. "Well, after you came to me, I found out what exactly had happened and I went to talk to him. I basically just reminded him not to judge Louis too fast and consider the whole thing from every angle. I also mentioned how happy you two make each other and that there's really not that big of an age difference, and eventually, he agreed and told me he'd consider it. He wasn't that angry in the first place, though, so maybe I didn't help all that much."

"I'm sure you did," Harry said softly, looking touched. "And even if you didn't do anything to change his mind – it's the thought that counts. I mean, I know you warned us many times and weren't too pleased about our relationship at first, so just… the fact that you care enough about our happiness to do this for us, means the world to us."

Liam smiled. "You're welcome, Harry. I'm glad I could do something for you in return – so now we're even, all right?"

Harry tilted his head. "Not quite. Louis and I are gonna take you and Zayn out to dinner – _then_ we're even."

Liam laughed. "All right, I suppose I can accept that."

The lift arrived on their floor and they exited it together, going their separate ways. Harry went to see Louis, and Liam went to his own office to think about his talk with Harry's father the previous day. They hadn't only talked about Harry and Louis; in fact, after Liam had said everything he'd come to say, Mr. Styles had mentioned Harry's suspicions about Eleanor. Then he had asked Liam to keep an eye on her and report back to him if he found anything suspicious. 

Liam wasn't sure how he could watch her all day and do his job at the same time, but after some thinking, he'd decided to ask around a bit during his lunch break, and keep an eye on the security cameras in the entrance hall, where her desk stood. If Eleanor left her spot, he would have to follow her around, and even though he didn't like the idea of spying on what could possibly be a completely innocent girl at all, he'd been asked to do it by his boss, and he wasn't going to disobey a direct order. 

Besides – while he'd personally never had a problem with Eleanor, he had to admit that he doubted she was as innocent as she pretended to be. He'd heard some things over the past few months that made him believe that Eleanor wasn't innocent at _all_.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

After a long day of work and spying on his co-worker, Liam made his way home where he was greeted by Zayn who had dinner ready on the table. Liam still wasn't over how _nice_ it was to always come home to a warm meal and a smiling boyfriend. After years of constantly being alone, he really loved having someone to come home to. And he loved that Zayn apparently loved cooking for him so much. He didn't need to do it – Liam made sure Zayn knew that – but he still kept surprising him with amazing dinners every night. Liam knew he would never take that for granted. 

He kissed Zayn for a long moment, then flopped down on his chair tiredly, leaning back. 

Zayn served them both, then covered Liam's hand with his own when he sat down as well. "Everything all right? You look like you've had an exhausting day, love."

Liam laced their fingers and rubbed his thumb over the back of Zayn's hand gently. "It's not that it was exhausting, I just… I've got a lot to think about it."

"Oh?" Zayn asked curiously. "Anything you'd like to share with me?"

Liam hesitated for a moment before he decided that telling Zayn wouldn't be a bad idea. He told him everything that had happened the previous day; about Harry's suspicions about Eleanor and Mr. Styles' request for him to look into the accusations.

"So I spent the day working and keeping an eye on Eleanor and… I did find out a few interesting things. The thing is, I'm not sure what Styles expects me to find out," Liam finished, taking a sip of wine and tasting some of Zayn's amazing potato gratin. "This is delicious, love – I am once again in awe of your cooking skills."

Zayn grinned. "Thanks, babe. You inspire me."

He squeezed his hand and was silent for a moment. "Well, what is it that you found out?"

Liam bit his lip. "That she's slept with a few people at the office, mostly," he said quietly. "But I'm not sure if that's something that's any of Styles' business, you know? People are allowed to have a sex life, and if Eleanor likes finding her sexual partners at work, even though it's kind of frowned upon, it isn't really something I should be telling him, is it?"

He paused. "Besides, how awkward would that conversation be?"

Zayn considered this for a moment and shrugged. "Well, he did want you to tell him what you find out. And it's not like sleeping with her co-workers is something he can fire her for, I think. I don't know."

He bit his lip, then murmured to himself, "What would I do in your case?"

He paused briefly, then shrugged. "I think I would tell him, but stay vague, you know? I'd say that she's been dating a couple of her co-workers, but I definitely wouldn't give him any names or specifics. If her private life has nothing to do with the way she does her job, then he'll just have to ignore it."

"That's the thing, though – she doesn't really _do_ her job," Liam sighed. "I've looked at her phone records as well and she keeps making private phone calls during work hours and from her work phone. And she also–"

He stopped abruptly, then shook his head. There was one other thing he'd found out but he wasn't sure if he should share that with anyone. "No, it doesn't matter," he said. "I'll figure out what to tell him tomorrow – let's talk about something else. How was _your_ day?"

Zayn smiled. "I've been on the computer all day, looking for locations for our vacation. I haven't decided where we'll go yet because there are so many beautiful places I'd like to visit with you, but I can tell you that it'll be a trip to remember."

Liam smiled. "Oh yeah?"

"Mhm," Zayn said mysteriously, smiling as he leaned in to kiss Liam. 

Dinner was soon forgotten when Liam picked him up and carried him to the bedroom, where they spent the rest of their night, already making _today_ a night to remember.

Liam was grateful for the distraction and managed not to think about the whole Eleanor dilemma until Zayn was already asleep. He didn't stress about it too much, however, convincing himself that everything would work out the next morning and that he'd figure out what and how to tell Mr. Styles.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

It wasn't until late morning the next day that Liam finally managed to make himself leave his office and go to Styles to talk to him about Eleanor. He felt like a bit of a bastard for telling him what he'd found out, but eventually told himself that the whole thing would've come out eventually and that he was just following orders. 

Styles was oddly calm when Liam told him about the phone calls and the fact that Eleanor wasn't at her desk as much as she should be. He didn't mention the fact that she'd slept with some people around the office until Styles himself asked about it, and even then, Liam just vaguely confirmed that he'd heard something about that as well, even though he knew far more than he probably should.

Mr. Styles thanked him eventually and asked him to send Eleanor in as he left, so Liam did, nibbling his lip as he watched her go into Styles' office with a wide, unsuspecting smile. 

He went into the kitchen to make some coffee, feeling a little uneasy while Eleanor was in the boss's office, and was glad when he ran into Harry and Louis on his way back to his own room; talking to them would distract him a little. 

Harry brought up his plans of taking Liam and Zayn to dinner again, and Liam suggested Friday night, since Zayn had mentioned wanting them to leave for their two-week vacation on Saturday, but since Harry and Louis had their Meet the Parent dinner that night, that didn't work out. 

"Then we'll do it when you're back from your trip," Harry decided after some consideration. "Which is great, actually, since I won't be coming back here after next week. That way, we'll make sure to stay in touch, even after I'm gone."

Liam smiled. "Sounds good to me – we can do that. I'll let Zayn know."

They were interrupted a moment later when Eleanor burst out of Styles office, looking really, really pissed off and yelling, "Fuck you, Edward. I quit."

Liam's eyes widened and Harry and Louis looked stunned as well as they watched Eleanor pack her stuff. When she'd stuffed about half of her personal items into a box, she picked it up and hissed at them as she walked past them. 

"Happy?" she snapped at Harry, looking furious. Harry flinched a bit and blinked stupidly as he watched her make her way to the lift and left the office without another word. 

Harry and Louis looked at each other cluelessly, and Liam tried not to look guilty, even though he felt completely responsible for what had just happened. But it wasn't like he'd lied or made something up – this was Eleanor's own fault, right? And from what he'd heard, it didn't sound as if Mr. Styles had fired her – she was the one who'd mentioned quitting.

Within seconds, everyone at the office seemed to know what had happened and the rumours started. Liam excused himself to go back to his office, but not before meeting Louis' eyes and getting a curious look from him.


	36. Chapter 36

"Liam, Liam, Liam," said Louis as he entered Liam's office pretty much the moment the latter had closed the door. "You should know by now that you can't escape me."

He gave Liam a small grin, leaning against the door. 

Liam eyed him. "I'm not trying to escape you. Why would I want to escape you?"

"Because you know something," Louis said slowly, tilting his head. "And because you know I know you know something." He paused briefly to consider whether that sentence even made sense; then decided that it did, and continued. "So tell me. What the hell just happened?"

Liam sat down and busied himself with some paperwork. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Louis sighed, leaning his head back against the door. Evidently, Liam was under the illusion that he would give up if he said no often enough – clearly, he didn't know Louis at all. Louis approached his desk and placed both hands on it, leaning forward. "Liam."

Liam sighed and rubbed his temples before looking up to meet Louis' eyes. "What?"

Louis smiled sweetly. "You know exactly what's going on. You know why Eleanor just stormed out of Styles' office like a bloody fury, so tell me."

When that didn't seem to work, Louis' lips formed a pout. "I thought we were friends…"

Liam groaned and pushed his chair away a little. "We are friends, Louis, but this is none of your business. It's none of _my_ business either, which is why I'd prefer it if we never talked about it. So let's just keep it at this: Eleanor and Mr. Styles had a disagreement and she decided to quit."

Louis frowned. "That's not all of it – and it's more of _my_ business than yours, actually, considering it concerns the father of the boy I'm dating, so… tell me. Teeell meeee."

"No," Liam said, folding his arms over his chest to reinforce his statement. 

Louis raised a brow and held the eye contact. Liam wasn't good at this. He wasn't good at saying no – sooner or later, he would give up. He was close to cracking. Louis could tell. 

He smiled when Liam blinked and averted his eyes, and he knew he had him. 

He was proven right a moment later, when Liam rubbed his face. "All right. Fine," he said. "But you need to promise me not to tell Harry."

Louis raised an eyebrow. "I can't promise you that. I tell Harry everything. So… let me be the judge of it; if I feel it's not something Harry needs to know about, then I won't tell him. But if it's something trivial, then I don't see why Harry shouldn't know about it."

Liam looked at him for a long moment, then shrugged. "All right. I suppose you do have some common sense, so you'll know what to tell Harry and what to keep to yourself."

He took a breath. "All right, so when I talked to Mr. Styles about your situation, he happened to mention Harry's suspicions about Eleanor, which you probably know all about."

Louis nodded. 

"Well, he asked me to watch Eleanor – not like, constantly or anything. Just… to keep an eye on her, you know? See if I notice something suspicious."

Louis nodded again. "And? Did you?"

Liam nibbled his lip. "Well, you know Eleanor. You probably know she's been with a few of our colleagues, considering you're one of them."

Louis wrinkled his nose and huffed. "Don't make me sound like one of many, Liam – I'm quite sure I was much more special than everyone else she's slept with."

He smirked when Liam rolled his eyes. "Sorry, sorry," he laughed. "Do go on."

Liam rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I reported back to Mr. Styles; told him that Eleanor talks to her friends on the phone during work hours and that she's always gossiping instead of doing what she's supposed to be doing, and… he happened to ask me whether she'd had sexual relations with other people at the office. I didn't feel particularly good about telling him but I did confirm it."

Louis nodded thoughtfully, then frowned, shaking his head. "This doesn't make any sense. Why would she quit because of that? This is Eleanor Calder we're talking about – she manages to talk her way out of pretty much anything and you're trying to tell me that it only took Styles suggesting she's sleeping around for her to quit? I don't quite believe that."

"No," Liam sighed, tracing patterns on his desk with a finger. "There's… something else I found out that I think might be the reason for their fight…"

Louis leaned in, intrigued. "Oh?"

"Yeah," Liam murmured. 

Louis tapped his fingers on the desk impatiently, then groaned when Liam didn't continue. " _Tell me_ ," he practically begged because _yes_ , he was curious and the fact that Liam was making such a bloody fuss about this suggested that he was about to tell him something mind-blowing. 

Liam looked up and bit his lip. "When I was asking people about her, there's something else that I found out and – naturally, I didn't mention it to Styles because I really rather prefer that he doesn't know I know about it, but…"

" _Yes_?" Louis breathed, hanging on the edge of his seat. 

"One of the people Eleanor was sleeping with," Liam said softly, "was Styles himself."

At that, Louis fell silent and stared at Liam in shock. Then he let out an incredulous laugh. "Are you serious?!"

Liam nodded. "Yeah."

"Oh my god," Louis snorted, unable to stop laughing because _fuck_ , that was the last thing he'd expected to hear. "How do you know?"

Liam shrugged. "I told you. Someone mentioned that they'd seen them at the opera together at some point and apparently they looked pretty cosy. I don't think it was just sex either; to me, it sounds as if they've actually been seeing each other for a while."

He sighed. "I felt terrible about practically telling him she's cheating on him – but at the same time, that was one of the main reasons why I did feel he had the right to know. Of course I would've preferred it if she'd told him herself but… What was I supposed to do?"

Liam looked guilty about the whole thing, and Louis reached out to touch his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Liam. I think you did the right thing, as uncomfortable as it may have been. But… wow, fuck. Eleanor and Styles. I'm a little stunned, to be honest. She's slept her way straight to the top, hasn't she?"

Liam still looked uncomfortable and Louis sighed. "Mate, seriously, relax. It's not your fault. She got herself into this situation when she decided to screw the boss and a few other people on the side. Stuff like this always comes out in the end – sooner or later, he would've figured it out himself."

He leaned back. "I suppose the whole scene we've just witnessed makes a whole lot of sense now. He probably told her he knows about her little indiscretions, she got defensive, they started yelling, he dumped her, and she was butthurt and decided to quit. And then she got mad at Harry because she obviously thought he had something to do with it."

He nodded thoughtfully. 

"About Harry," Liam said then, looking worried, and Louis raised a hand to silence him. 

"Yeah, no, don't worry. I won't tell him about his dad and Eleanor. I don't think he needs to know. I mean, in a way, he would probably be happy his dad hasn't been completely alone and lonely all these years, but Harry's hatred for El is so intense that it would probably turn him off his father – which would be bad, considering they're just starting to reconnect. So don't worry, Liam. I'll tell him Eleanor wasn't doing her job and being slutty around the office but I'll keep the whole affair thing to myself."

Liam let out a breath of relief. "Thank you. That's what I was thinking, so… good. We agree then."

"We do," Louis murmured, then started laughing again. "Styles and Eleanor – Jesus fucking Christ."

Liam couldn't hold back a snicker. "I know. You should've seen my face when I heard about it."

Louis grinned and shook his head, then turned silent for a moment as he contemplated everything he'd just found out before he pushed himself up. "Right. I should get back to work, I suppose."

Liam nodded. "Yeah."

Louis left the office, still shaking his head over what he'd just heard. Harry was standing outside his office and Louis schooled his features, trying not to look too amused or horrified as he touched Harry's waist gently and led him into the room. 

When the door was closed, Harry immediately started bombarding him with questions. "What happened? Did you find out?"

Louis slid his hands onto Harry's hips and pulled him closer, placing a gentle kiss to the tip of his nose. "I did, yes. Looks like Liam was asked to spy on Eleanor a little and he told your dad that she hasn't been doing her job, most of the time. Your father also figured out that she was sleeping around, so he must've accused her of it, and Eleanor couldn't take it for some reason, so she quit."

Harry looked at him for a moment, then grinned. "So she's really gone for good?"

Louis laughed. "Yes, love. She's gone."

Harry couldn't quite contain his glee, and Louis looked at him adoringly. "I believe you, by the way," he said then, because he _was_ quite sure that it was Eleanor who'd made sure that Styles would catch him and Harry in the act. She'd probably seen them once or twice and had convinced Styles to check on Louis when she was sure Harry was in the office with him… He wasn't sure what her reasoning behind the whole thing had been because she couldn't really gain anything from it, could she?

Unless she'd been jealous of Harry for being more important to Styles than _she_ was. Actually – yes, that did make quite a lot of sense. She probably wanted more of Styles' attention, so she'd thought that if he caught his son with another guy, he would start hating him or something. 

Clearly, her plan had backfired.

"You do?" Harry asked, looking hopeful, and Louis nodded. 

"Yes. And I'm still really, really sorry about the whole thing."

"Don't be," Harry said, touching his cheek with gentle fingertips. "I know you had other things on your mind at that moment and… it's fine. I forgive you, Lou."

Louis nodded and leaned in to kiss Harry. Harry closed his eyes and fell into the kiss, returning it eagerly for a moment before drawing back. Then he let out a sigh. "I suppose I should get back to work. Liam's given me a few more things to take care of before I leave on Friday, so I should get that done."

"Hmm," Louis murmured, pulling him into another kiss. "Sure you can't spare a couple of minutes?"

But Harry stayed firm. "Nope. Not possible, sorry. But I do believe we have a date tonight, so you can ravish me afterwards."

Louis sighed heavily – then dreamily when he imagined what they'd do tonight. He smiled at Harry and kissed his lips, patting his arse lightly as he watched him leave the room. He stood there for a moment, then giggled again when he thought of Styles and Eleanor – it was something he would probably be amused over for a while – but finally made himself get back to work as well.


	37. Chapter 37

The next day, Liam finished work early and made his way home. He still had one other thing to do before officially calling it a night, but it was something he could work on at home. 

Considering he had been Harry's mentor during his time at the law firm – somewhat, anyway; he personally didn't think he'd taught Harry as much as he could have – he was expected to write a short report about Harry's work at the office. He'd already come up with what he was going to write in his head, so he could get started the moment he got home. 

Zayn wasn't there but he'd mentioned a photo shoot the day before, so Liam knew not to be worried when he came home to an empty flat. He poured himself a glass of red wine, grabbed his laptop and got started. 

He didn't even have to think about what to write because he knew exactly what he was going to say. He didn't have one bad thing to say about Harry. He'd been an outstanding intern, had done everything Liam had told him to do. Of course he could mention that Louis had distracted Harry occasionally, but he saw no point in doing that, since his father already knew about it. 

So he wrote two pages about how meticulously Harry had completed every task Liam had given him, how he'd socialized and got along with everyone at the office and that he'd never complained about anything. He praised him but made sure not to overdo it because he didn't want to seem too biased. 

He was working on the last sentence when he heard Zayn enter the flat, and leaned back, finishing his wine when his boyfriend came into the living room. 

When he lay eyes upon him, he almost choked on his wine and was momentarily speechless as he let his eyes travel over Zayn. 

He was clad in tight leather pants and a flimsy, see-through black t-shirt that showed a lot of skin and some of Zayn's tattoos. His hair was done up in a quiff, and – was he wearing _eyeliner_?

Liam was hard instantly, and Zayn gave him a knowing smirk as he purred, "Honey, I'm home."

Liam just stared, then had to blink a few times. He carefully set his glass down and leaned back, licking suddenly dry lips as he reached between his legs to adjust his cock in his too-tight trousers. "Get your arse over here," he murmured, and Zayn smiled in delight before he kicked off his boots and straddled Liam's thighs as he'd closed the distance between them. 

Liam slid his hands onto Zayn's hips, then cupped his arse between his hands, stifling a moan when he felt the warm, soft leather stretched across his lover's tight arse. 

"What kind of photo shoot _was_ this?" Liam asked, trying not to drool as he looked up at Zayn, who looked mysterious and just ridiculously hot with the slightly smudged eyeliner around his eyes. 

Zayn smiled. "It was a video and photo shoot, actually. A perfume ad. You'll love it."

"I have no doubt," Liam murmured, but furrowed his brow a little when he realised that the whole world – or at least everyone in the United Kingdom – would see Zayn like this. He wasn't jealous by nature, but this did make his stomach tighten a little. 

"Don't be jealous," Zayn said softly as he leaned in to press a gentle kiss to Liam's lips. "I'm all yours, babe. They'll get to see me, yeah, but you're the only one who's allowed to touch me. So you get to be all smug when you hear other people talking about how hot I am because you'll know that you're the only one who gets to kiss me like this."

To demonstrate what kind of kiss he was talking about, he leaned in and pressed their lips together in a long, passionate kiss that left Liam breathless and even harder than before. When the kiss broke, Zayn turned his head and looked at his laptop. "What're you writing?"

Liam stared at him. "Harry's report, which really doesn't fucking matter right now. Now get out of those clothes; I need you."

Zayn turned back to look at him and gave him a sweet smile. "Do you? How much do you need me, Liam?" he whispered, leaning in to graze his teeth over Liam's bottom lip, sucking on it lightly. 

Liam let out a shaky breath and closed his fingers around Zayn's delicate wrist, pushing his hand down between his legs to show him how hard he was. Zayn's eyebrows shot up and he smiled. "My, my…"

He kissed his lips, then got off Liam's lap, Liam's eyes never leaving Zayn's frame. He watched him pull up his shirt, revealing a tiny bit of his flat stomach and protruding hip bones before he turned around and pulled it off. Liam looked at Zayn's shoulders and back before fastening his eyes on Zayn's arse again, overwhelmed by how fucking _good_ it looked in those tight leather pants.

A moment later, Zayn slowly pulled said trousers down and Liam's eyes widened when he peeled them off and he saw that Zayn had nothing on underneath. It didn't take long for Zayn to be completely naked, and when he was, Liam reached forward and touched his hips gently, turning him around. 

Zayn looked down at him with dark eyes and Liam licked his lips before wrapping a hand around Zayn's erection and stroking him slowly a couple of times. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to the exposed head of his cock and sucked his whole length into his mouth, closing his eyes as he started sucking him off. 

Zayn's soft little moans encouraged him and he tightened his lips around him, cheeks hollowing as he increased the suction. He held Zayn in place, smiling when he literally felt the other man's knees buckle a little. He moved his hands around Zayn to squeeze his arse again, rubbing his fingers along the crack while his own cock twitched in his trousers. 

"Stop," Zayn murmured after several minutes, hand tightening around the back of Liam's neck, and eventually, Liam drew back reluctantly. "I'll be back in a second."

Liam watched Zayn leave the room and sighed impatiently, but used the time to unzip his trousers and free his own erection. He wrapped a hand around it and gave himself a couple of rough strokes; not enough to send him over the edge but still managing to relieve some of the pressure in his loins. 

When Zayn re-entered the room, Liam was pleased to see the tube of lube in the other boy's hand, and quickly tugged his trousers down all the way, wiggling out of them. He yanked his shirt off as well, then reached for Zayn, pulling him back onto his lap. 

"I'm gonna ride you," Zayn murmured against his lips as they kissed again. Liam whimpered. 

Zayn squeezed some lube into his palm and Liam clumsily spread the slick substance over his fingers. He rubbed it over Zayn's entrance, fingers shaking a little as he pushed two of them past the first ring of muscle and buried them deep inside Zayn. Zayn's back arched and he threw his head back, letting out a hoarse moan. 

Liam couldn't take his eyes off him and was fascinated by the way Zayn's hips moved as he pushed back against his fingers. He scissored them, stretching Zayn, while his other hand curled around the other boy's dick. 

Zayn clenched around him and finally tore his eyes open again, hands on Liam's shoulders, silently letting him know he was ready for more. 

Liam didn't have to be told twice; he withdrew his fingers and wiped them on his discarded shirt before he squeezed a generous amount of lube onto his cock, spreading it over his length and pulling Zayn's hips forward. Zayn reached down and gripped Liam's cock, positioning himself and engulfing him in tight heat a moment later as he slowly lowered himself onto him. 

Liam's eyes fluttered closed and he moaned, teeth digging into his bottom lip when he was buried all the way inside Zayn. He touched Zayn's narrow hips lightly and stared up at him dreamily, getting a smile in return. 

Zayn's fingers brushed his cheek as he looked at him half-seductively, half-adoringly, and he leaned in to capture Liam's lips in another deep kiss as he started moving. 

It didn't take long for them to find a rhythm; Liam thrust up whenever Zayn sank down on him. He couldn't take his eyes off Zayn; he looked so fucking beautiful as he moved on top of him. He wondered if Zayn knew what he looked like or how sexy he was – part of him thought that Zayn couldn't possibly know what effect he had on him when he moved like this, while another part was quite sure that Zayn knew _exactly_ how bloody gorgeous he was. 

He dug his fingers into Zayn's hips when he started moving faster, his moves getting a little erratic. Liam loved this; he loved having Zayn on top of him and watching him as he rode his dick, but it was hard for him to control the moves of his hips and push in as deep as possible. 

So when he couldn't take it anymore and needed _more_ , he grabbed Zayn's hips and flipped him, laying him down on the couch and getting between his thighs. Zayn's long legs wrapped around him instantly as Liam thrust back inside, burying himself inside Zayn and moaning into his neck as he started fucking him in earnest, making sure to angle each thrust so that he rammed Zayn's prostate every single time. 

Zayn stared up at him, trapping him between his thighs while his hands stroked Liam's abs and chest, fingers pinching his nipples lightly. Zayn's skin was flushed, covered by a thin sheen of sweat, which made his eyeliner smudge even more. It made him look so fucking debauched and beautiful that it literally took Liam's breath away for a second or two. 

"I love you," he whispered, staring down at Zayn while his hips kept snapping forward with a force he hadn't thought possible. "I love you so fucking much, baby, you're so fucking gorgeous."

Liam may not usually swear, but in bed, the words seemed to come to him pretty easily.

He continued thrusting into Zayn over and over again, bringing both of them closer to the edge with every push. He kissed Zayn's lips and face and neck, touching every part of him that he could reach all the while whispering sweet nothings into his ear. 

Suddenly, Zayn tensed and almost arched off the couch as his inner walls gripped Liam almost painfully tight and his come splashed all over his stomach and chest. He whimpered and collapsed, but kept pushing back against Liam. 

Liam thrust about twice more before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he came hard, buried all the way inside Zayn as waves of pleasure washed overhim. 

He carefully lowered himself on top of Zayn when he was spent, panting heavily into his neck for a moment. When he'd recovered a little, he carefully slid out of Zayn and moved off him, curling into his side. Zayn's long fingers rubbed his scalp as Liam rested his head on his shoulder while Liam tried to catch his breath. 

They lay there like that for a long moment in silence, both recovering from the force of their orgasm. Liam pressed a kiss to Zayn's shoulder and stared at him dreamily, getting a sweet smile in return. 

"Our vacation is booked, by the way," Zayn murmured after a moment. "Hotel, flight – I took care of everything."

"Oh?" Liam asked softly, idly tracing one of Zayn's tattoos with a finger. "Where are we going?"

Zayn smiled. "It's a surprise. You'll see soon enough."

Liam hummed contentedly. He was curious, of course, but in the end, it didn't matter because as long as he was with Zayn, everything was all right. He closed his eyes and was about to drift off to sleep when Zayn shifted into a sitting position. Liam frowned and was about to complain when he noticed Zayn looking at his laptop again. 

"You can read it, if you want," he said softly, smiling when he saw that Zayn had been waiting for this and reached for the laptop instantly. Liam watched his face as Zayn read the report, and fell even more in love with him. He found himself marvelling at the fact that Zayn loved him on a daily basis, and more than once, had wondered what he'd done to deserve this happiness. But then he always ended up deciding not to question it and just enjoy it for as long as Zayn was here with him. Which, hopefully, would be forever. 

"That's really sweet," Zayn said when he finished reading and set the laptop back onto the table. He slid back down and rolled onto his side to face Liam, looking into his eyes. 

"Just the truth," Liam said softly, gently trailing his fingertips down Zayn's side, following the curve of his hip. 

They looked at each other in silence for a little while before Zayn leaned in to press a kiss to Liam's lips and rolled off the couch. He left the room and appeared again sometime later, a little too dressed for Liam's taste. He gave Liam a smile, then went into the kitchen to cook dinner, and Liam sat up, looking at the text on his screen again. He leaned forward and saved the document, then emailed the file to Mr. Styles before joining Zayn in the kitchen to help. 

They had dinner an hour later because they kept distracting each other and exchanging kisses when they should be chopping vegetables. But in the end, they managed to get everything done. Later, they ate in front of the telly and snuggled and kissed for the rest of the night. 

One more day of work before their vacation. Liam couldn't wait.


	38. Chapter 38

On Harry's last day at the office, time seemed to fly. At the end of the day, he felt as though he'd barely arrived when it was already time to say goodbye and leave the office for good. Or until next year anyway. Harry had already talked to his dad about this, and unless he found something really, really exciting to do next summer, he would get to work there again. 

He didn't get a lot of work done on that day, mostly because when he'd asked Liam about it, the latter had only shaken his head and told him to enjoy his last day. 

So Harry had wandered around the office, having a few last chats with some of the people he'd met over the course of the past four weeks, and at the end of the day, he made sure to say goodbye to every single person he'd met, promising to stay in touch. He wasn't sure whether it was possible to stay friends with everyone once he had to go back to school, but it seemed like the thing to say on a last day. 

His last stop (before Louis) was Liam. He thanked him profusely for everything he'd done for him and for taking such good care of him and making sure he always had something to do. Liam looked a little emotional at the prospect of not seeing Harry every day anymore, and Harry almost teared up when they'd hugged and said goodbye. He also made sure that Liam had his phone number and personal email address, so they could stay in touch and arrange a date for the dinner they'd planned for when Zayn and Liam got back from their vacation. 

When Harry finally managed to leave Liam's office, Louis came out of his just when Harry was about to knock on his door. He gave him a smile and took a deep breath. 

"All right… I guess it's time to meet the dad, huh?"

Louis looked a little anxious, but nodded. "Yeah. I guess."

Harry smiled. "Don't be nervous, love – it'll be fine. I promise."

Louis nodded. "I know it probably will be but… I'm still really nervous."

"I know," Harry said, understanding. He took a breath. "All right, so my dad will be home around seven, which leaves me a little under two hours to cook an amazing dinner and get everything ready. Did you want to go home and change or do you want to come over right away?"

Louis considered this for a moment. "I think I'll come and help," he offered. "I'd drive myself crazy at home."

Harry grinned, but was grateful for the company. "All right. Then let's get to it."

They left the office together and held hands as they walked back to Harry's house, picking up a few groceries on their way there. At home, Harry changed into something more comfortable and then spent the next hour bossing Louis around in the kitchen. Louis was amused but didn't say anything cause Harry seemed a little tense, and he didn't want to unnecessarily anger him by pointing it out. 

They did work well together, though. Harry did most of the work, but Louis followed Harry's instructions whenever there _was_ something Harry allowed him to do. In the end, everything was ready in the oven an hour before Harry's dad was supposed to be home, and Harry looked content.

"I think I need a shower," he said after making sure everything was cooking, and let out a breath. He paused for a moment, then tilted his head, smiling seductively. "Wanna join me?"

Louis raised a brow. "Do you think that's a good idea? I mean, your dad could show up any second and I really don't want him to catch me naked in the shower with his son, as I have a feeling that would give him the wrong idea about me."

Harry shook his head. "No, it's fine, Louis. He promised he would be home at seven sharp, and not a minute earlier or later, and he's very reliable when it comes to those things, so I think we're probably safe."

He tugged Louis after him by his tie, not listening to any of Louis' concerns. "Come on."

Louis didn't contradict him again and followed Harry up the stairs into his bathroom where they stripped and got under the spray. When the warm water ran down his body, Harry wrapped his arms around Louis and pulled him into a kiss that quickly grew heated. He ran his fingers down Louis' body, revelling in his beauty before he drew back and gave him a cheeky grin. 

"Fuck me?" he asked innocently, batting his lashes at Louis. Louis looked stunned for a moment but whatever he meant to say in response died on his lips when Harry kissed him hard and slid his hand between their bodies to wrap it around both their cocks. 

Louis moaned, thrusting up into Harry's hand. "Are you sure?" he murmured when they broke for air and Harry attacked his neck with his lips, sucking hard. Louis hoped he wouldn't leave a mark because he didn't have a turtleneck jumper with him to cover it up – and Harry's dad would obviously recognize a hickey right away. 

"Yes," Harry murmured. "I want you so badly, Louis – I don't think I can wait all night to have you in me. And we've got time – we'll be done way before dad gets home."

"Don't," Louis murmured, tangling his fingers in Harry's wet curls and tugging lightly. "Don't mention your father when I'm about to fuck you, babe."

Harry grinned. "Oops."

Louis rolled his eyes but smiled as he pressed their lips together and pinned Harry to the cool tiles of the shower wall. Harry's hand was still wrapped around both their cocks and Louis let Harry stroke them for another moment before he gently pushed his hand away and flipped Harry. He pressed him against the wall and fitted his body against Harry's, kissing his wet neck and shoulder, cock trapped between Harry's arse cheeks as he rubbed against him almost desperately, needing him so badly. His fingers dug into Harry's hips, probably leaving marks. 

He reached for the shower gel and squirted some of it onto his fingers, spreading it over them. It wasn't ideal – lube would be better – but considering that this had to be a quickie, Louis didn't want to waste any more time by getting out of the shower, drying off, looking for lube and getting back _into_ the shower. 

Besides – with the amount of sex they had, he was pretty sure that Harry could take him. 

He pushed two slick fingers into Harry, his moan muffled as he pressed his lips to Harry's shoulder. Harry clenched around him but pushed back eagerly, crying out when Louis' fingers grazed his prostate. Louis kept finger-fucking him for another minute or two, then pulled his fingers out and slicked his cock, aligning it with Harry's entrance. 

"Ready?" he murmured, rubbing Harry's hips comfortingly as he gently pressed against his hole. Harry let out a whimper and nodded. 

"Yes. Yesyesyes, I'm ready, just – _please_ , just fuck me."

Louis took a deep, shaky breath – he loved it when Harry begged for it – and pressed his forehead against Harry's shoulder as he took hold of his cock and pushed in all the way in one go. Harry tensed a little in his arms but relaxed only seconds later, wiggling back until his arse was pressed flush against Louis' hips. 

"Fuck," Louis hissed, sliding an arm around Harry's waist to hold him close as he willed his body to stay still for a minute, for Harry to be able to adjust. Harry didn't need much time, however, and practically begged Louis to move. 

Louis had to smirk when he realised that Harry wasn't only bossy in the kitchen, but, as he knew well now, also in the bedroom. Or bathroom. Whatever.

He fucked him hard instantly; pulling out almost all the way before he thrust in again, repeating the action over and over again until they were both seeing stars. 

Harry was loud; he moaned and begged and cursed and hissed, and Louis briefly realised that if Harry's dad _did_ come home earlier than planned, he would probably be scarred for life. He pushed that thought away, however, and focused on giving Harry what he needed – and _how_ he needed it. When Harry breathed, "Faster," he sped up, when Harry needed him, "harder, Louis!", he thrust in as hard as he could.

"Louis, I'm close," Harry whimpered after a while, hands and cheek pressed against the wet shower tiles. His eyes were closed, his pink lip parted and Louis couldn't stop himself from leaning in and kissing them lightly.

Louis slid his hand up Harry's back and pressed him against the wall then, looking down at his cock as it disappeared inside Harry over and over again. He licked his lips, then slid his arm around Harry's body, wrapping it around his cock and jerking him off roughly in time with his thrusts. 

Moments later, he felt Harry twitch in his hand and his own orgasm followed a moment later when Harry clenched around him, almost unbearably tight. He pressed himself against Harry, holding both of them up with the last of his strength. 

He let out a shaky breath and stroked Harry's stomach, pressing a light kiss to his shoulder as they both tried to catch their breath. When he was sure Harry could stand on his own, he carefully drew out and took a step back, helping Harry turn around and lean against the wall again. 

He swallowed hard when he looked at Harry, who was flushed, with a pink, puffy bottom lip from where he'd bitten it so much, and he almost found himself hardening again at the mere sight of him. 

The urge to kiss him was intense, but when he leaned in, Harry pointed out that they had to get out of there or they'd never be ready before his dad arrived. Louis considered his options for a moment and in the end decided that yes, his fear of Edward Styles was definitely stronger than the urge to kiss _Harry_ Styles at that moment, especially considering he would have plenty of time to kiss Harry later. 

They washed the come and sweat off their bodies and exited the shower just when the water was starting to turn cold. They dried off and got dressed and were ready and descending the stairs when the front door opened and Mr. Styles came inside. 

He spotted them immediately and Louis felt his cheeks flush because Harry's hair was still a little wet and oh god, his dad could probably tell that they'd showered together. 

If he did know, he didn't show it, though, and gave them a smile. "Hi."

"Hello," Louis said carefully, feeling his nervousness come back instantly. He'd been fine for the past hour or two, but now, he was _so_ nervous, his heart racing in his chest. He looked down when Harry reached for his hand, and met his eyes, feeling a little better when Harry gave him a reassuring smile and tugged him the rest of the way down the stairs. 

"Dad, this is Louis, my boyfriend," Harry said, looking so adorably proud that Louis couldn't suppress a little smile. "Louis, this is my dad."

"We do know each other, Harry," his dad said with an amused smile, but held out his hand. Louis let go of Harry's to shake his father's, returning the smile somewhat shakily. 

A semi-awkward silence followed, and Mr. Styles cleared his throat. "That smells amazing – can I help with something, or…?"

"Nope," Harry said, shaking his head firmly. "It should be just about done. The table's set in the living room, so… go have a seat and I'll bring everything in."

He left to go to the kitchen and Louis followed, but Harry stopped him. "Go inside; I'll take care of this," he whispered. 

Louis panicked a little. "But I don't want to be alone with him!"

Harry sighed. "It's only for a minute or two – he won't bite off your head. You're a big boy, you'll be fine."

Louis swallowed audibly and looked over his shoulder, then sighed heavily and made himself follow Harry's father into the living room. He sat down across from him and managed a tiny smile. 

"This must be just as weird for you as it is for me," Harry's father said after a moment, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. 

Louis let out a laugh. "It is a little odd, yeah," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well – relax," the older man said. "You've got nothing to worry about. You already have my blessing as you obviously make Harry incredibly happy. I know you're a good man and that you'll take excellent care of my son, so as far as I'm concerned, we're good."

Louis bit his lip and nodded slowly. "All right," he said. "I just… thank you. Thanks for allowing this. Harry really does mean a lot to me and I promise that his heart is in good hands. I won't hurt him."

Mr. Styles gave him a smile. "I know that, Louis – may I call you Louis here?"

Louis nodded, and Harry's dad continued, "I know you won't hurt Harry. And even if this ends at some point, I want you to know that I won't let it affect our work relationship. I will do my best to keep personal matters and work separate from now on, so you've got your job for as long as you want it."

Louis briefly wondered if Mr. Styles' statement about keeping work and his private life separate had anything to do with the whole Eleanor situation – then mentally kicked himself because thinking about that right now, was definitely not a smart idea.

He took a breath and nodded. "Thank you. I appreciate that," he said, just when Harry came in with the food. 

After a few more awkward silences, they slowly warmed up to each other and Louis managed to answer some of Harry's father's questions – the normal kind about where he was from, about his family, and about his dreams and ambitions; nothing embarrassing about past lovers or anything like that – without saying anything horribly embarrassing or making any other faux-pas. 

In fact, the whole dinner went much better than expected. After some initial difficulties to get over his nervousness, Louis soon relaxed. The conversation was great, they laughed a lot, and it was mainly Harry who made sure that no major awkwardness arose. When they'd finished dinner and tasted Harry's amazing chocolate mousse, both Louis and Harry's dad helped him clean up.

When they were done, Harry's father smiled. "All right, I suppose this is my cue to leave, isn't it?"

Harry protested, "You don't have to leave, dad – we can… hang out."

"That's nice of you, Harry, but I'm quite sure you two can think of more entertaining things to do than to spend time with me on a Friday night, so… go have fun. If you leave, just let me know, so I won't have to worry, all right?"

Harry nodded, exchanging a look with Louis. "I was actually going to sleep at Louis', if you don't mind."

Louis flushed at that and glanced at Mr. Styles through his fringe. 

"All right, I can't see why not," Harry's father said in response, smiling. "You'll take your phone, so I can reach you?"

"Of course," Harry said, nodding. "And I'll probably be back… well, maybe not tomorrow, but on Sunday at the latest? Unless you want me home tomorrow?"

His father shook his head. "No, I don't think that will be necessary. I'll probably go to work tomorrow to finish a thing or two, so I won't be around anyway."

Harry nodded. "Okay… bye, dad."

He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then took a step forward and hugged his dad briefly, while Louis shook his hand. 

"It was a pleasure to talk to you, Louis," Mr. Styles said, then gave them both a smile and left. 

Louis let out a deep breath and collapsed onto the nearest chair, rubbing his face. Harry sounded amused as he ran his fingers through Louis' hair. "You okay there?"

"Yes," Louis murmured. "I guess it all went better than expected but… I'm a bit of a nervous wreck right now."

Harry grinned. "Aww… don't worry, love, I'll take you to your place and will give you a massage or something. You'll be really relaxed when I'm done with you."

Louis looked up at him and smiled. "Is that so?"

Harry nodded. "Yep."

Louis looked at him for a long moment, then rose to his feet, cupped Harry's cheeks and pressed a light kiss to his lips. He brushed his fingertips over Harry's cheeks and leaned in to rub their noses together, looking at him adoringly. "I'm never going to let you go," he whispered then, suddenly overwhelmed by the intensity of his love for Harry. "Never."

Harry looked surprised but then gave him a sweet smile. "Promise?"

Louis nodded seriously. "I promise."

"Good," Harry murmured, wrapping his arms around Louis and hugging him for a long moment. When he drew back, he looked at Louis with deep green eyes, a dimply smile appearing on his lips. "Because I'm planning on keeping you forever."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue tomorrow :)


	39. Chapter 39

"Haz! Harry, over here!"

Louis waved almost frantically, trying to get Harry's attention, and smiled when Harry finally spotted him. He leaned against the gate, trying to look like the cool older boyfriend he was while Harry said goodbye to some schoolmates and finally made his way over to him with Niall. Niall nodded to him, then waved at Harry and left, and Louis laughed. 

"He still doesn't trust me entirely, does he?"

Harry grinned and leaned in to peck Louis's lips before he grabbed his hand and tugged him off the school grounds. "Of course he does," he said, wrapping his fingers around Louis' and giving him a warm smile. "His test just didn't go very well, so he's a little grumpy. Nothing to do with you, I promise."

"Oh right, the test. How did yours go?"

"Quite well, I think," Harry said, nodding. "I think I fucked up one of the equations, but the rest should be pretty good. Doesn't matter either way, it's over now, so… whatever."

Louis grinned. "That's the right attitude," he said cheerfully, looking to his left and right as they crossed a street. "Homework?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, a little. I've got all weekend to do it, though, so I think I'll just try to work on it a little right now and do the rest tomorrow – unless you've got other plans?"

Louis shook his head. "Nope. I've got some laundry to do, so I can take care of that while you work on your homework."

Harry nodded and they walked in comfortable silence to Louis' flat. Inside, Harry went into the living room and dropped down on the floor, unpacking his backpack, and got started right away. Louis smiled to himself, then left Harry alone for a while to do laundry. 

When he was done, he went back to the living room to check on Harry, leaning against the doorway and smiling as he watched the other boy, who had a look of intense concentration on his face as he read a paragraph in one of his books. 

A few weeks after the end of Harry's internship at the law firm, things were going well for the two of them. They were still madly in love with each other and both found that not seeing each other at work on a daily basis had actually benefitted their relationship rather than made it more difficult. Whenever Louis could, he picked Harry up from school, but he'd also given Harry a key to his place in case his classes ended before Louis could get off work. They spent as much time together as possible. 

Work was great as well – he got along with Harry's father really well these days, and none of the initially expected awkwardness had occurred after that first dinner at Harry's house. Harry's father had called him into his office the other day to discuss his future, which Louis had been thinking a lot about lately. He was planning on going back to school, actually, and had told Harry's dad about it, which had been received very well. In fact, Mr. Styles had encouraged him to continue his education and promised he'd get his job back whenever he was done with his studies – or a _better_ job even, which suited whatever degree Louis was planning on getting. Now Louis was looking at various options and planning on starting in the summer semester at a university nearby, if it was at all possible. 

"Are you watching me?" Harry asked suddenly, and Louis snapped out of his reverie to give him a smile. 

"Maybe. You look adorable."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I always do," he said with a grin, pushing himself up into a sitting position and holding his arms out. "Kiss?"

Louis smiled warmly and got down on his knees in front of Harry. He cupped his cheeks, brushing a thumb over one of Harry's dimples, and gave him a long, gentle kiss. When they drew back, Harry was smiling goofily. 

He leaned against Louis, head on his shoulder. "Is everything ready for tonight?"

Louis nodded. "I got everything, yes. You'll help with the cooking, right? I know I've improved but I don't think I'm quite ready to cook a full three-course meal on my own just yet."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, definitely. I'll help you. When are they getting here?"

Louis glanced at his watch. "In about three hours. I said seven, but Zayn said something about a photo shoot and he wasn't sure if he'd be done on time, so… yeah. Around seven…ish."

Harry nodded. "Sounds good. Plenty of time left then. But I suppose we should get started anyway, just in case something goes wrong."

Louis eyed him. "Are you insinuating something, Mr. Styles?"

Harry grinned innocently. "Nope. Not at all. I'd just like to remind you that last time, you completely over-boiled the potatoes and we had to go buy new ones, so it's probably best to start right away."

Louis rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. "Yeah, yeah, go ahead and mock your boyfriend's mediocre cooking skills. I know I suck."

Harry laughed when Louis got up and went into the kitchen, following him. "I didn't say you were mediocre! Just… challenged, maybe."

He wrapped his arms around Louis from behind and kissed the back of his neck. Louis wanted to keep pouting, but instead relaxed in Harry's arms, unable to resist Harry when he was being so sweet. 

He enjoyed the neck-kissing for a minute or two, knowing they could get carried away very easily, but after a moment, Harry stopped anyway and started giving him very precise instructions about how to prepare the food. Louis did his best to follow them, and under Harry's supervision, managed to get everything right – even those tricky potatoes. 

It was a good thing they'd started early, though; they were done with everything at 6.45 pm which gave them just enough time to change before Liam and Zayn would arrive – if they were on time. 

Louis smiled as he watched Harry rummage through the drawer in his bedroom; the one he'd demanded when they'd been together for a month. He'd claimed he spent so much time there that he needed to at least keep some boxers and socks at Louis'. He'd also demanded a shelf in the bathroom for his hair products, which had amused Louis and caused him to tease Harry endlessly, but in the end, he'd given in and granted Harry whatever he wished for. 

It was actually nice to know that Harry liked being with him so much that he wanted him to make some room for him in his life – and his flat.

When they were dressed and ready, they checked on the food once again, and then sat down in the living room, snuggling as they waited for their guests to arrive. 

Zayn and Liam had been back from their vacation for a while now, but for some reason, they'd never managed to find the time to have dinner with Harry and Louis. But eventually, they'd ended up finding a date in their busy schedules that worked for all of them, and had decided to have dinner at home, rather than some restaurant.

Harry jumped up when the doorbell rang and ran to the door, beaming at Liam and Zayn when he pulled it open. "Hey!"

"Hi!" Liam said cheerfully, returning Harry's wide grin warmly. "Long time no see."

"You could say that," Harry said, stepping aside to let them in. "Come in – let me get your coats. Have a seat in the living room and – Louis, could you check on the food?"

"I'm opening the champagne, love, and I wouldn't know whether the food was ready if it bit me in the arse, so you do it, yeah?" came Louis' response. Harry rolled his eyes but grinned at Liam and Zayn and pushed them towards the living room before he took away their coats and then made his way to the kitchen to make sure the food was ready. 

When he rejoined the others in the living room, Louis handed him a glass of champagne and Harry smiled. "Thanks, babe!"

He flopped down and managed to spill some of his champagne onto his shirt, which was so typical. He sighed heavily while the other three laughed. 

"Not funny," he huffed as he tried to dry his shirt, but gave up a moment later because it would dry oni its own. "Oh well."

He turned to Liam and Zayn. "Anyway – you two look great! Vacation obviously was the right choice for you. Where did you end up going again?"

"California," Zayn said with a smile. "It was a hard decision; I kind of wanted to take him somewhere not too far away – like Spain or Greece – because I didn't want this to turn into an exhausting trip but for it to be relaxing for him, you know? But then I thought we could do something exciting and still manage to chill a bit, and I figured since Liam has limited vacation time 'cause your father makes him work so hard – no offense, but he does – we could go somewhere cool. The flight was endless, but it was totally worth it."

"It was," Liam said, nodding. "So many beautiful things to see there – and contrary to popular belief, it's not all Hollywood and fake and plastic."

"Great," Harry said with a smile, and wondered if Louis would ever want to take him someplace like that. Probably, at some point. They had time. He looked up at Louis and smiled when he saw him looking back at him, probably thinking about their first vacation together as well. Harry's stomach fluttered a little as he imagined it, and he smiled as he finished his champagne. 

"Right – dinner should be just about ready, so why don't you get seated and… Louis, help me in the kitchen."

He got up and left while Louis gave Zayn and Liam a look, mouthing, "So fucking bossy!"

They got everything ready and when they carried the food inside, Liam and Zayn were seated, and started ooh-ing and aah-ing about how delicious everything looked. Harry let Louis accept the compliments, even though _he_ had done most of the work – but that was what love was all about, right? Right.

When they all had food and wine aplenty, they started eating, talking about work and school, and catching up with each other's lives. 

Things were going well for Liam at work; he finally got to practice law the way he'd always wanted to. He still had some learning to do, but Harry's father had apparently finally allowed him to take on a bigger case on his own and Liam's happiness over it was plain to see. He looked so much better and happier than before. 

Zayn's career was taking off as well, especially after the perfume ad. Posters of it could be admired in every Underground station and the TV spot was on regularly. Everyone wanted to work with him now, and Harry wasn't surprised because Zayn really _was_ exceptionally pretty and really good at what he did.

All in all, it was a great evening and by the end of it, the four of them promised to stay in touch and decided to make get-togethers like this a regular thing. Zayn and Liam would invite the other two to their place at some point in the near future, and Harry hoped it would all work out because he'd really come to like Liam and Zayn and wanted them to be a part of his life.

Everything that had happened since he'd made the decision to work for his dad during the summer had turned out to be a good thing. He had reconnected with his dad, proven to him that he wasn't as irresponsible as his father used to think, and had come out to him and now no longer had to hide. He had gained a couple of amazing friends, had learned a lot about how a law firm worked and would most definitely be back to work there next year. 

And above all, he'd found Louis, this incredible boy who Harry believed was his soulmate and the love of his life. And despite the fact that things were back to normal now and school had started again, he knew would always think of this summer as the best one of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... that's it! Thanks to everyone who's ever (or regularly) left a review or kudos; it really means a lot to me that you liked the story so much and your constant feedback kept me motivated to finish this :) ♥


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